


Nothing Wrong With a Bit of Fun

by cecania



Series: The Second Dragon Age [2]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Masturbation, Modern AU, Oral Sex, PWP, Porn Without Plot, modern templar au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-21
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-03-31 13:38:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 78,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3980020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cecania/pseuds/cecania
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world is going to hell around them, but that isn't going to stop them from enjoying the simpler things in life. Mainly each other.</p><p>A collection of nsfw one shots exploring the sexual side of the relationship between Cullen and Elora.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cuddles (Naked)

**Author's Note:**

> Essentially, I want to attempt to write shorter one shots so I'm doing a 30 day nsfw prompt list and set it in my modern templar au because that's all that I can think about right now. They might not be in order of the prompts or the story line because some of them are actual major plot points for the main story, but I'm going to attempt to get all of them done! Although this came out more as fluff than as nsfw so I need some more practice. Or it's a good lead up?

 

 

Staring at the fortress in the distance, Cullen felt his stomach clench.  Elora had to go there. She had to liberate the Keep in order to help the people of Emprise du Lion. There had been horrible whispers about what was stalking the halls of that old fortress and he was loathe to send her there.  Michel de Chevin  had spoken to him at length of what was there and it had soured his entire mood.

A demon. There was a demon waiting for Elora in those icy halls. Not just a run of the mill, lower class demon either. It had a name, had given itself an actual name, and was more than aware of their world. It was working with the Red Templars, doing what he didn’t know and he didn’t want to. All he wanted was for it to be destroyed. Which meant sending in the Herald.

His gaze moved behind him to where the camp was set up. Elora had liberated several of the smaller ancient keeps leading up to Suledin and she had made camp in this one. It was closest to where she needed to go, would make her path the easiest. Of course there was also the huge bridge leading into what was clearly dragon country. The sun was setting so he couldn’t see into the hills and coliseums that had been built in that direction but he could hear the leathery crack of the wings. Guards were stationed all along that bridge to ensure they had ample warning if any of the high dragons decided they wanted to venture a little further than usual.

His mouth twisted. She would be expected to deal with them as well. She was expected to deal with all of the problems that were cropping up all over Thedas it felt. It made him bitter in a way because, forever ago, she had been only his, his mage, his partner. Now she was the Inquisitor, an antiquated title to match that of the magister darkspawn  ripping across the world. Now he had to share her with everyone .

That was a lie. The world, even the Inquisition, only saw Inquisitor Trevelyan, fabled Herald of Andraste and vaunted Knight-Enchanter. He got to see Elora, the woman who nearly drowned in shallow creeks and summoned demons on accident.

A soft snort left him at that and he turned on his heel to go back to the tents. It felt like it was another life, them in the Hissing Wastes and her lighting a brazier for no good reason. But it hadn’t even been six months. Not even six months but they were still together. In fact….

He waved off a messenger when they started forward, pointing at the strategy tent. He didn’t want to deal with anything right now. Right now he wanted in the tent he shared with Elora, wanted a little bit of quiet time with her before she went out. Maybe he’d try to convince her to let him come with again. It wasn’t hard since she missed having him with her as much as he did.

Pulling aside the flap of the tent, he waited a second as he felt the blast of heat rolling out from inside. “You’re going to burn it down,” he said quietly as he slipped in and immediately started sweating.

“It’s cozy,”  Elora  countered absently from across the space.

He looked over at her and paused in shrugging out of his coat. “Why aren’t you wearing anything?” he asked, although it might have been more of a demand.

“Clothes got sticky so they had to come off and I still have my underwear on. It counts.”

“You could have dampened the runes instead. Maker, Elora, anyone could walk in!”

She shifted on her chair to look at him, one brow raised. “There is exactly one person who enters my tent without announcing himself and that’s you, Cullen. Everyone else asks before they come in so the only one who’s going to see me like this is you.”

“This area is locked in winter and you’re sitting here in a bra and panties.”

A small smile curled her lips. “Would you like me to take them off?” she asked.

He gave her a look as he tossed his coat over one of the trunks near the entrance of the tent. “Don’t even start. You know both of us need our sleep tonight.”

“Spoil sport.”

Tugging his sweater over his head, he shook his head as his hair fell in his eyes. “When you get back,”  he said quietly, toeing off his boots as his sweater landed on his jacket.

“I’m going to be exhausted,” she complained. “Fighting demons and red templars and whatever else I’m going to fucking find in that rock fortress isn’t going to exactly be easy.”

“Don’t remind me,” Cullen muttered, pulling on his belt.

Elora sighed and he heard her chair scrape slightly as she stood up.  “When all of this is over I’m going to sleep for a week. No, a month,” she corrected.

He glanced over at her and licked his lips slowly. She had her back to him as she stretched her arms over her head. He had a clear view of all of her, of the way the black cotton cupped and framed her ass and hips , the way both of them flared out from her narrow waist. The only thing breaking up that pale expanse of skin was the black bands of her underwear. “You going to sleep in that?” he asked, hooking his fingers in the waistband of his pants and briefs.

Elora threw a coy look over her shoulder. “I thought you said we need to sleep.”

“I never said anything about sex, Ells,” he told her, shoving the cloth down his legs and leaving him naked. He didn’t miss her swift inhale, knew she was probably licking her lips in response.

“What are we going to do then?” she murmured. “Why else would you want me naked?”

“Because I like you being naked?” he threw at her.

A grin stretched across her mouth. “You want to cuddle,” she accused.

“Do you not want to? Because I can put my clothes back on and find another tent to-“

“Don’t you even dare!”

He grinned lazily at her and barely blinked when she swore at him.

“You did that on purpose,” she grumbled, slipping her fingers under her bra to pull it over her head.

Cullen rubbed his mouth slowly as her breasts came into view, bouncing as they were freed from her bra.  He watched as she shook out her hair, her curls long enough to  partially cover her breasts and it created an interesting peekaboo effect with her nipples. Maybe he should have gotten her to leave them on. But it was too late now as she was shimmying her panties down her legs and flicking them off her ankle .

“You going to come over here or not, Commander?” Elora murmured. 

He crossed the tent in two long strides and wrapped his arms around her waist. He barely paused as he lifted her off her feet, ignoring her squeal as he carried her to the cot tucked into the back end of the space. They’d finally managed to get a bigger bed in her tent but it really still wasn’t big enough for the pair of them. She joked that it was good they loved each other because they were certainly getting up close and personal in this bed.

Carefully setting her down, he stretched out beside her and wasn’t surprised when she pulled the covers over the both of them despite the heat in the tent.  She cuddled closer to him, bare skin pressing against all of his.  “The light, Ells?” he murmured, wrapping his arms around her again.

She hummed softly and the light dimmed until it was only a faint glow. Her fingers traced patterns on his chest, toying with the dog tags he still wore. He didn’t know what her fascination with them was, but she was always tugging on them and rubbing them between her fingers when she could see them.

Closing his eyes, Cullen savoured the feel of her against him. She was warm in his arms, thanks to the runes she had in the tent but he was surprised her nose and toes weren’t freezing. They were always cold and she was always pressing them to him when he slipped under the covers with her. But she had the heat high enough in the tent that she was completely warm. “Elora,” he growled when her fingers wandered down his chest .

She kissed the base of his throat before she looped one arm around his back and pressed her other hand flat to his chest. “I didn’t do anything,” she murmured.

He huffed softly, rubbing his cheek against her hair. “You’re insatiable,” Cullen muttered.

A soft giggle left her and she somehow cuddled closer. He had to bite the inside of his cheek at the feel of her, all soft, warm curves against him. “Not my fault you’re attractive.”

“You’re not even trying to behave,” he accused.

“Why should I behave? I’m currently cuddling with my boyfriend, naked. I’m pretty sure that’s a recipe for misbehaving if I’ve ever seen one.”

He shook his head at her. Never when he had first met her, had he thought that this was what had been waiting for him underneath that calm and polite demeanour of hers.  There’d been a few slips when they’d still been on the Chantry’s payroll  but it hadn’t been until they’d fallen into their relationship that he’d really found out who Elora Trevelyan  was.  His Marcher Mage was too sexual for his own good…but he couldn’t really say he was complaining when he got to feel her shifting against him without a thing between them. Although , she needed to stop squirming. He knew what she was doing and it wasn’t going to work.

Sighing when she kept moving, Cullen gave up any pretense of playing. He heard her squawk as he rolled onto her, pinning her to the mattress.

“Cullen!” she wailed, flailing as much as she could.

“Nope,” he murmured, moving so he could bury his face in her neck and let his head rest on her shoulder. “You had your chance.”

Elora grumbled under her breath as she still squirmed under him before her arms wound around him. Her thighs parted as well, cradling his hips and letting him rest fully along the length of her.

His eyes slowly closed when her fingers slowly kneaded at his back and shoulders. This was better than before. Certainly harder to resist since he only had to shift a bit and-No. He’d been the one to say no sex tonight. When her touch moved up to stroke through his hair, he mumbled, “I’m coming with you tomorrow.”

“Mm, I thought you were supposed to meet with Michel and some of the people from the town?”

“It can wait.”

Elora laughed softly and hugged him tightly. “I won’t protest you there. Just watch my back, not my ass.”

He huffed out a laugh and considered biting her. Smart ass. He didn’t say it since he knew she would be far too proud of herself.


	2. Kiss (Naked)

 

 

Tugging out her braids, Elora slowly ran her fingers through her hair as she walked through the halls of Skyhold. She was so glad to be back after going to the oasis out in the middle of nowhere. She’d found enough shards to warrant going back out there but she was getting tired of the swarms of undead and demons that came every time she unlocked a door. Made her wonder if she really wanted to be unlocking them at all. The only saving grace was that, with the chill in the air, the fire that she and Dorian had both been throwing around had given them a distinct edge. It had still been a massive pain to get out there, unlock two doors, and then come home with very little to show for it.

And wasn’t that just an interesting thought. The bunker was home now and that startled her. After the Academy and her apartment in Kirkwall, she’d never thought that living in a bunker under a mountain would be her home. She hadn’t thought that she’d be Herald of Andraste either so she supposed it was all a matter of perspective .

But the only thing that mattered to her right now was getting to her set of rooms and having a very long bath.

She was thankful that Leliana and Josephine had understood that need, but she was a little started to find that Cullen hadn’t been there to greet her as well. He was usually first in line when she got back, but she supposed they had gotten in fairly early. They’d had good weather coming back and her team had all agreed, they wanted to be home so they had taken turns driving through the nights. So that meant they’d gotten in at six in the morning and that had been cause enough to keep their arrival quiet, not wanting to wake the entire base so early.

The advisors that she’d seen had agreed that they could wait to have a meeting until the early afternoon, knowing Elora would want to catch a nap and eat something before she even thought about going over reports.

She didn’t waste any time getting into her rooms, knowing that once she was there she wouldn’t have to worry about anyone bothering her about the Inquisition. Slipping into the front room of her suite, she heard the quiet noise of music coming from Ionas’ room. It wasn’t overly surprising that he was up already, probably reading or getting ready to use the indoor range.  She knew she should probably let him know that she was back, but he would want to visit and she felt gross. After she ran a bath or had a shower or just gotten clean, she would crash his rooms with some breakfast and they would catch up on what had happened while she was gone.

Provided Dorian wasn’t in the room first which he very well could be since she was sure he had missed her cousin as much as she had. For completely different reasons.

Swinging towards her door, she pushed it open and paused when she heard that the shower was running. Her mouth pulled into a grin and she started tugging her fatigues off as she crossed the room, dropping them haphazardly all over the floor as she went.  This was a vast improvement to the plain shower she’d wanted.

She was completely naked by the time she got into the bathroom and she tried to be as quiet as possible. With the water running it was unlikely that he would hear her, but she didn’t want to give herself away just yet. Carefully undoing the clasp of her necklace, she set his lucky coin on the sink and walked to the tub. Pulling the curtain to the side, she smiled when his head jerked around over his shoulder. “Want some company?” she murmured, twirling a curl around her finger.

“When did you get back?” Cullen asked, twisting in the tub to face her.

Her gaze dipped down, following the path of the water and the suds trailing down his body. “Just now,” she said, running her teeth over her lower lip. Maker help her, the man was cut. And she got to touch him, got to put her hands and mouth on every inch of him. If she was lucky, she’d be able to do it in the shower because she very much enjoyed the feel of his slick skin against her own.

A huffing chuckle left him and his fingers crooked at her. “Get in here,” he laughed .

She took his hand and climbed in with him, pulling the curtain back into place. “Miss me?” she asked, smiling up at him .

The wry smile on his mouth stayed firmly in place as he leaned down to kiss her.  “Of course I did .”

“I wasn’t gone that long,” she teased him.

“Uh huh,” he said dryly. “Did you miss me?”

“Very much so.”

He kissed her quickly again, rubbing his nose gently against hers for a second. 

She sighed happily as he wound his arms around her and turned them in the tub so her back was to the water. Sliding her hands up his chest, she threaded her fingers together behind his neck and tipped her head back to let the water soak into the mass. She hummed in the back of her throat when he reached up to help, lifting and moving her hair to make sure that all of it was wet.  Her eyes closed as he kneaded at her scalp so she didn’t see him move to kiss her upturned mouth again.

His tongue slid against her lower lip but he didn’t deepen the kiss when her mouth opened. Instead he gently tugged on her lip with his teeth, plumping the flesh with his bite and soothing it with his tongue again. She was sure she felt him smile when she whimpered softly and he took pity on her. His tongue slipped between her lips, curling around her own even as his mouth settled fully on hers.

Elora sank into the kiss with a sigh, leaning into him. The feel of slick skin rubbing together had her toes curling against the bottom of the tub. She could feel him hardening against her belly, countering his slow kiss. He could pretend not to be as affected as her, but it was clearly a lie. She lifted on her toes when his mouth pulled away from hers and she forced her lashes up so she could see him.  He was gazing down at her, love and adoration clear enough in his eyes and it made her melt all the more. “Now what, Commander?”  she murmured.

“You have plans for the morning?”

She shook her head, practically purring as he ran his fingers through her hair.  “Shower, food, nap, bullshitting with Yoney,” she listed off lazily. “You?”

“Meeting with Rylen in half an hour.”

Elora  pouted at him. “Really?”

“It’ll be quick,” he promised. “Routine checks of supply lines and  patrol schedules.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “I suppose I can let you go.”

“Thank you, Inquisitor,” he chuckled, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. “But I do expect you to be naked when I get back.”

Elora gave him a look. “Oh do you?”

“Mm,” Cullen breathed, tipping her head back a little further. “I do have to welcome you home properly. Can’t do that if you aren’t naked.”

A shiver ran through her despite the heat of the shower. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but his welcome homes might be why she pushed a little harder to get home as fast as they did. But who could blame her when she knew that her lover was waiting for her, was waiting to ravish her and make her float on bliss for hours.  “Well,” she murmured, “I suppose I could wait to visit with Ionas until after you get back.”

“Either that or do it first and then I can have you to myself.”

“Greedy.”

“You have no idea,” he breathed, kissing her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still a little fluffy but there's only so much you can do with the first two prompts. The next one? Well, that's a completely different story! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Apologies if the formatting is a little weird on anything. Moving things from my ipad to my computer is not working as smoothly as I’d hoped!


	3. Masturbation

 

 

Pushing his hands through his hair, Cullen paced along the length of the tent. Tension was humming under his skin as he moved, sweat trickling down his spine with every step. But the latter could be blamed on the heat. He hadn’t expected to come out to the Hissing Wastes again and, in all honesty, he hadn’t had to. But as he’d read the report Leliana had given him, he’d known he wasn’t going to leave Elora on her own to come out here.

Of course, she wasn’t actually alone. She had her team-Cassandra, Cole, Dorian, Ionas-with her. It wasn’t the same though and he had had a long discussion with her before she had left about swapping Cassandra out for him. She had listened  patiently to him, her focus entirely on him, but she had still cupped his cheeks and given him a sweet kiss that had told him no. She had reminded him that they were waiting on an envoy from the Orlesian University who was coming to help translate the runes in the ruins, that they would want to talk to someone in charge and that meant her or him. Cassandra was a Seeker, yes, but that title was outside of the Inquisition and if this person was as fussy as Elora was expecting them to be, Cassandra was not going to be enough for them. So he had been forced to stay and watch as her team had driven off into the sand.

Maker’s breath, if he’d known it was going to be like this when he’d agreed to join the Inquisition…he still would have joined. He wasn’t fooling himself. The Inquisition’s cause was something he fully supported. He just wished he wasn’t being left behind so much while Elora went out, that someone else had been marked and was running across the lower half of the continent trying to fix everything that had gone wrong. He knew Elora wouldn’t have been content to just sit around but she could have continued her research, branched into the red lyrium and studied it. She would have been safe and he could keep an eye on her all the time. 

Sinking onto the edge of the bed, he let out a slow breath. Elora wasn’t expected back until late this evening and the scholar had shown up earlier today. He had wanted to go into the desert immediately and Cullen had had to force him into a tent to wait for the Inquisitor to return. One more day wasn’t going to make that much of a difference with the runes and he wasn’t going to be anywhere but here when she got back. They could take a day to regroup and then head out to one of the locations to start the translating.

Everyone had settled in for the day and he was expected to do the same. He’d brought a few reports with him to go over, reviews of scoutings into the Wastes and some of the more troubling areas of the neighbouring Approach. He hated the desert with a passion and it seemed divine providence that their enemies were so interested in all of the ruins out in the sand.

Staring at the flap entrance of the tent, his mouth pressed into a flat line. He’d watched her walk out of the tent three days ago before he had swiftly followed her to give her a proper good-bye. He’d ignored  the catcalls from her team, specifically her cousin and Dorian, tipping her face up to his to kiss Elora long and slow. She’d been purring and swaying on her feet when he had pulled back from her.

_ “Why do you have to do that?” she sighed. _

_ “Do what? Kiss you?” he asked, confused. “Because I was under the impression that you liked me kissing you.” _

_ “I do, but you make me not want to leave when you kiss me like that,” she complained. _

_ He chuckled deeply, brushing his mouth over hers. “Consider it incentive to come back to me.” _

_ “Mm, I really don’t need more incentive to come back. You’re more than enough.” _

_ “Flatterer,” he breathed. _

_ “Are we going some time today?” a voice complained from nearby. _

_ Elora closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly. She popped up on her toes to kiss him quickly in good bye. “See you in a couple days, Cullen,” she murmured, walking toward the vehicle they were taking out into the sand. _

_ “You glow more when he’s with you,” Cole said as she got close to him. “A bright light in the darkness. The clear ring of a bell through the utter chaos of the noise in his head,  his Ells Bells.” _

_Elora  glanced back at him and her smile told him that he was most likely flushing before hooking her arm through Cole’s. “Come on. Let’s not embarrass the Commander further today.” _

Scrubbing his hands over his face, Cullen wished he was used to Cole plucking the thoughts and feelings from his head but he really wasn’t. He wanted to be the one to tell Elora those things, to tell her she was his light in the dark and that she meant the world to him. He’d gotten better at telling her, but he still felt like he stumbled with his words and actions weren’t always what he wanted to show her how he felt.

Kicking off his boots, he moved to stretch out on the mattress. If he slept now, he could wake in the late afternoon and still finish the work he needed to do before she got back and the camp started moving around. Then he could spend a few hours with her before they both got swallowed by other duties that needed tending to. But for those first few hours, she would be all his. They had a routine for it, when one of them had been away, no matter how long or short the period of time it was. They were allowed to talk about the mission and the Inquisition for as long as it took them both to get naked, after that, well they might talk about the war again but it was usually much later.

Cullen rubbed his mouth slowly as he thought about that. At first, it had been to reassure himself that she was alright, that she hadn’t been wounded because she had a bad habit of playing off some of her injuries. It had turned to other activities since he’d had his hands on her and she’d been naked anyways.

Maker, when he had her naked he wanted to keep her that way. Every inch of her was soft, broken every now and then by a small ridge of scar tissue. He’d pressed his lips to every single one of them, had them memorized and wished he could keep her from gaining any more. Of course she squirmed and giggled when he brushed his lips over them, but he wasn’t sure if it was because of the light touch of his mouth or the stubble rasping against her skin. Either way, he treasured the sounds and might have gone out of the way to make her ma ke them.

The way they rang in his ears, the way they gave into gasping moans as his touch got a little firmer, the way they turned into sighs of his name as he moved over her….

His hips arched up slightly from the bed, searching for contact he wasn’t going to find. “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. She would be back soon. It wasn’t even a full day, was just going to be back later today maybe early tomorrow morning. He didn’t need to wrap his hand around his dick, he didn’t need to.

But he wanted to.

His hand was a poor substitute for her, for her soft hands and warm mouth. The calloused and rough palm wasn’t what he wanted in the slightest. But he didn’t have much of a choice. His only other option was to ignore his hardening cock and attempt to go to sleep. He could do it, it wouldn’t be pleasant for a while, but he could do it. He could do it and not think about how much of a lucky bastard he was that Elora loved him back. He could do it if he didn't think about how damn eager she was when they were alone, wanting to be as close to him as she could get.  


He was reaching for his belt before he had even fully formed the thought, his fingers tugging the leather from the buckle with harsh motions. Digging his heels into the mattress once his fly was open, he lifted his hips and shoved fatigues and briefs down his thighs far enough that he could wrap his fingers around himself. A hissing sigh left him as he stroked himself slowly, his cock already half-hard.

Biting his lip, he bucked up into his touch, a rush of pleasure filling him. H e kept his strokes slow, lazily working himself to a full erection. She liked teasing him, waking him up with her mouth on his cock on the rare occasion she woke up before him. Kisses and licks around the tip that got wetter as she moved down his cock. Or she would run her hands along his length while she sucked on his balls.

Groaning deeply, he told himself to slow down. If he thought about everything she did with her mouth, he was going to come faster than he wanted. And as tempting as it was,  he wanted to enjoy this as much as he was able.

He pulled his hand away, spitting into his palm before returning it to his cock as his hand rubbed uncomfortably. Rubbing his mouth with the other, he moved his hand along himself and groaned again as he twisted his touch around the head. It was a poor substitute for her tongue, but she loved curling it around him and licking at him like he was a treat. He rubbed circles against himself, his thumb working over the exposed head. She liked rubbing her thumb against the underside of him, stroking along where his foreskin had pulled back. His grip didn’t allow it but this was just as good.

Her fingers would wander up his stomach, scratching lightly at the muscles in his abdomen, raking through the line of dark gold hair that lead down from his navel, rubbing against the scars on his skin. Then, when she wrapped her lips around the head of him, she would drag her nails over his hips and down his thighs. It was a counter to the wet suction of her mouth, the pull of her lips as she popped off him with an obscene sound.

Cullen moaned, twisting slightly as he imagined her sliding down him. His free hand fisted in the sheets and he wished that it was actually tangled in her hair, following her as she bobbed along him. Stroking himself harder, he panted for air as his pleasure got tangled up with his memories. Maker take him, when she had just the head of him in her mouth…she did this  _thing _ with her tongue that had him seeing stars.

His moans turned to whimpers as he squeezed himself, his grip tight as he worked along his cock. Forget slow. He wanted to come, wanted to feel the rush that came from release, but it wouldn’t be as good as it would with her.  She had spoiled him with her touch and her mouth and her tongue and her wicked voice. She’d whisper the filthiest things to him when her mouth wasn’t on him, making him twist and buck against her. 

_ "I want to feel you come in my mouth, Cullen. I want you to come on my tongue. Do you want that?" _

Yes! He wanted her lips wrapped around him as his orgasm rocked him. He wanted her cheeks hollowing around him as she sucked on him. He wanted pale green eyes staring up at him as she swallowed everything that filled her mouth.

"Look at you. Maker, you're ready to come, aren't you?"

His moan was long and low. He could practically hear her whispering in the quiet hush of the tent. His hand worked himself harder, the other moving to cup and fondle his balls. He was fucking close!

"Come on, Cull. Come. You know that's what you want. I want it too. I want to see you paint those tight muscles with your cum."

He moved his cock so it was angled up his chest at her words. His breaths were coming in short pants now and he was bucking on the mattress. His heels dug into the bed as he pushed into his fist. He bit down on his lip as a strangled moan left him, pleasure coating each note.

"Let me hear you, Cull. Come on. Don't be shy. It's just us."

He gasped her name, the syllables coming out in rapid succession as he came. He felt the hot spurts of seed land on his stomach but he kept stroking, ringing every last drop from himself. Exactly like she would.

It was eventually too much and his hands fell away. Lying on their bed, he gasped for air, trembling from head to toe. He could hear her purring, pleased that he had done that for himself. Wait. He could actually hear her.

Cracking an eye open, his head lolled to the side and he felt his heart stutter in his chest. Elora was standing in the middle of the tent, her vest gone, her fatigues open to expose the tight sleeveless top she wore under them and her pants were undone enough for him to see the dark material of her panties. "Ells?" he croaked.

"Mm, what a pleasant surprise," she murmured, shrugging out of her coat to let it fall to the ground. "Is this a reward for coming back early?"

He licked suddenly dry lips as she shoved her pants to the floor, leaving her in just the under shirt and her panties. "You came early?"

"Not as early as you," she teased, walking over to the bed.

Cullen watched her as she straddled his thighs, sitting calmly on him. "I didn't think you, I mean, I'm not upset you're back," he said, his mind still foggy.

She reached out and drug her finger through one of the white lines on his stomach. He moaned when she stuck her finger in her mouth before pulling it out with a pop. "Mm, good. I'll let you catch your breath, but I have plans for you."

His hands slid up her legs and hooked into the waistband of her panties. "I'm all yours."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to skip yesterday because my brain was not working with me after I got home. Hopefully this is worth the wait!


	4. Blow Job

 

 

 

Quiet music filled the cab of the car, covering the comfortable silence they had fallen into. They had spent the previous day meeting with Alistair, attempting to coordinate relief measures and tactics to deal with the rifts that kept popping up across the whole of Ferelden. The king had understood that Elora couldn’t always be there to close them and they needed support from the people in Ferelden to make sure that everything proceeded smoothly. The Inquisition forces were stationed throughout the country but the help was needed. Alistair had agreed and now they were working to help as many people as they could.

Which meant that they could return to Skyhold and see what new messes awaited them. But for now, it was just the pair of them in the car, relatively stress free.

Taking his eyes off the road for a second, Cullen looked at the passenger seat of the car. Elora was tucked into the cushions, leaning against the door and watching him with a faint smile on her face. “Do I even want to know?”

“That went really well,” she said with a sigh. “Considering your history with the king, that went really well.”

“That went well because the king has finally grown up,” Cullen finished.

“And because you didn’t pick a fight.”

It was his turn to sigh. “I know how important this is, Ells. I know what’s at stake. I wouldn’t risk it by fighting with the king.”

She made a humming sound, shifting in her seat. “So can I convince you to take a detour?” she asked coyly.

“They’re expecting us back tonight. That’s why we left Denerim so early. Remember?”

“I thought we left early so we didn’t have to rush .”

Cullen glanced at her again. She was running her fingers along the neckline of her shirt, the smile on her face not so faint now. “Elora, we agreed,” he said firmly, shifting slightly on his seat as he looked back at the road. “We’re going back to Skyhold and we need to be there before it’s too late. We’re supposed to meet with Leliana and Josephine as soon as we get there.”

“Which we can still do. A detour doesn’t have to be that long. It can be short…or as long as you want it to be.”

“I know what you’re doing,” he told her, hands flexing around the wheel. “And it won’t work.”

She laughed softly to herself. “You keep telling yourself that, Commander.”

Running his tongue along his upper teeth, Cullen kept his focus on the road. He needed to focus on the road. He needed not to think about whatever she was doing in the seat next to him nor what she wanted to do on this detour. They couldn’t be late. Leliana and Josephine knew how long it took to get from Denerim to Skyhold. He had called the base before they’d left, letting them know when to expect them. If they were late, later than the time it would take to have a meal that is, they would know.

It was no secret that he and Elora were in a relationship, they’d  taken no measures to keep it hidden. Not that either of them would be able to, not with the way neither of them could resist touching the other for long…or the fact that Elora had a penchant for wearing his coat all the time. She liked it a little too much, was always burying her face in the fur collar of it and then giving him a smile that usually set his blood to boiling.

Which was why he was going to keep his eyes on the road and his thoughts out of his pants.

They made it another ten minutes before she was turning off the radio. “Cullen .”

“Elora, no.”

“Cullen, look at me.”

“I’m driving, Elora,” he said firmly.  _Eyes on the road. Eyes on the road. _

“Then pull over and look at me.”

“We’ll stop when it’s time for lunch,” he told her.

The car swerved slightly when a hand settled in his lap, fingers wrapping around his cock through the material. “Pull over, Cullen.”

He resisted for another minute, fighting the urge to push himself up into her hand. He lasted until he realised that she’d undone her seat belt and was perched on the edge of the cushion so she could reach him easily. “For the love of the Maker, put your belt back on!”

“You going to pull over?”

“Elora, fucking sit down!” he growled. “Your life is worth more than a fucking hand job on the side of the road!”

“I was planning on using my mouth.”

“Sit. Down,” he said through gritted teeth.

She sighed and moved away from him, slumping back in her seat.

He waited until he heard the click of her belt going back on before he said, “There’s a pullout in five minutes, overlooking the coast.  I’m not stopping at a random spot on the side of the roa .”

“Are you actually going to stop there?”

Flicking a glance at her, he saw she was watching him from the corner of her eye. “It’s not that much of a detour,” he apologized.

Her mouth curled up at the corners. “It’ll be more than enough,” she murmured.

Focusing for the next five minutes was one of the hardest things he’d done in a long time. Especially when he knew what she wanted to do. But they made it in relatively good time and he was parking the car on the overlook. Before he could reach for her, she was climbing out of the car, closing the door and leaning back against it.

He followed her lead, shutting off the car and slipping out of it. Rounding the vehicle, he saw Elora watching him with her smile still firmly in place.

“Hi,”  she murmured, hands fisting in either side of his open jacket.

Bracing his hands on the car on either side of her, he leaned into her. “You are insatiable,” he said softly.

“Got a lot of lost time to make up for,” she breathed. “And like you’re any different.”

Cullen made a quiet noise before covering her mouth with his. Her kiss was hungry and he knew it had a lot to do with the fact that both of them had been on best behaviour in  Denerim. They’d toned it down to make sure they could actually face the people they were meeting with, instead of blushing madly under knowing looks. But it was hard, being that close to someone and not being able to touch them the way you were used to. There were polite touches to be sure, holding hands under the table, rubbing each other’s backs, but it wasn’t enough. Even at night…so close yet not doing anything.

So he wasn't surprised when she pulled him forward, pressing him against her. She moaned into the kiss as he ground his erection into her stomach, slow rolls of his hips that  did nothing to abate his arousal. If anything they made it worse.

“Ells,” he mumbled when she pulled away from him.

“Stay there,” she breathed, kissing him quickly.

He locked his knees as she slid to hers, her hands trailing down his torso. Leaning against the car, he stared down at her as she pulled on his belt. His breaths were already coming faster, his arms shaking slightly. He knew what to expect when she got his pants open, but he was never ready for it. His head fell forward with a hiss as she got his pants loose enough to brush her fingers over him.

Her laugh rippled over him, warm and languid, before she was curling her hand around him. She pushed his pants down to bare him completely and slowly started stroking along him. “Eager?” she murmured.

“Ells, don't,” he muttered, bucking into her grip as she still moved her hand almost painfully slow.

“Very eager.”

Cullen groaned as she put her mouth to him, open, wet kisses along his length. She sucked on the base of him, her tongue flicking out to tease him, before she was kissing up the other side of his cock. He tried to take a deep breath but his lungs locked up as she wrapped her lips around the tip. “Elora,” he groaned raggedly.

She took him deeper, sliding along him. She slowly worked him, hand and mouth working in tandem to make sure no part of him went untouched. It still made him burn, his knees shaking as she changed tactics. She pumped him while her tongue curled and swirled around the head of him, content little hums leaving her. It was the humming that usually got him, she never did it at the same time, always catching him off guard and that was exactly the way she liked it.

“Yes,” he moaned, one of his hands falling to cup the back of her head as she sucked on him. She still only had the tip in her mouth, her hand gripping him but only her thumb rubbing against the vein along the underside of him. “Elora.”

Green eyes flicked up to him. Her gaze stayed locked on his as she held him and slid back down him.

Cullen sucked in a harsh breath, his chest heaving as she didn’t stop. She didn’t look away from him, didn’t waver as she took him. He took another breath, holding it as he felt the tip brush the back of her throat. She held him there for a long moment and he hissed when she swallowed, the suction and contraction making him lock his knees to keep him from falling.

He saw the wicked spark in her eyes before they closed and she was moving on him again. All the way back so he was brushing her lips as she caught her breath and then back down so he could feel her swallowing against him.

He tipped his head back with a low grunt, closing his eyes as well. She fell into her rhythm, working him with the pressure he liked and teasing him with the light touch she favoured. Her free hand teased his balls, cupping and feathering over them in a maddening fashion.

“Elora,” he growled. They were on the side of the bloody road! They didn’t have time for her usual games!

She made a quiet noise that had him crying out before biting down on his lip. Her hands pressed to his thighs, scratching lightly as her fingers kneaded at him. But she wasn’t idly stroking him anymore, knew what he wanted even if it wasn’t what she had wanted to do.

His hips flexed, moving him between her lips, over her talented tongue. When she didn’t protest, he didn’t stop. The hand at the back of her headcurled, tightening in her hair as he thrust into her. Remembering to be cautious, he growled again when her hands slid around, cupping his ass. He jerked slightly as her nails dug in but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. He was close and she knew it.

Biting harder on his lip, he couldn’t completely muffle his moans. She was sucking on him again and every thrust pushed him closer. “Ells,” he gasped, his breaths coming hard.

She squeezed him again before she made a pleased noise as he started to come.

Cullen bent over her, the arm keeping him propped against the car shaking as pleasure filled him. He was still thrusting past her lips, hips jerking as he lost all semblance of rhythm he might have had. He could feel her swallowing everything that spilled onto her tongue, pressing up against him each time.

He was trembling when she pulled back from him with a pop and he opened his eyes in time to see her licking her lips. His own lips were parted as he panted for air, his chest still heaving.

“Better?” she murmured thickly.

He mumbled something but even he wasn’t sure what it was. About all he could do was rub his thumb against the back of her head in slow circles. Slouching forward, he let his forearm rest on the top of the car before his forehead thumped into it.

Elora laughed softly. “Much better.”

He felt her hands slide from around him, down his legs to catch his pants. He made a face as she pulled the material up his legs before waving her off. Struggling for moment, he managed to work his pants up with one hand without it being completely uncomfortable but he let her finish with the zipper and belt.

She latched onto his arm to pull herself to her feet and she wound her arms around his neck. “Cull, you alright?”

He shifted his weight from the car to her, pinning her between it and him. He buried his face in her neck and inhaled deeply before sighing. “You really didn’t have to do that,” he mumbled.

“I know,” she purred, kissing his ear lightly. “But you did so well in Denerim.”

Cullen snorted out a short laugh. “Am I to be rewarded every time I do something well?” he muttered.

“If you don’t pick a fight with the king, maybe.”

He lifted his head enough to see her and wasn’t surprised by the smile curling her mouth. “Minx.”

“Mm, you’d better let me drive. You sound a little hazy and we wouldn’t want to be late.”

“You did all this because you wanted to drive,” he accused.

“I did all this because I like doing it,” she countered. “I want to drive to make sure we actually get to Skyhold in one piece.”

“I’m fine.”

“Yes, you are,”  Elora teased.

He rolled his eyes and fished the keys out of his pocket. “You can drive until lunch,” he told her, dangling them from his fingers.

She grinned at him and gave him a quick kiss as she snatched them up.

Cullen watched her slip from under his arm and hurry around the car. Shaking his head at her, he could admit she was right as he slipped into the passenger’s seat. He definitely shouldn’t be driving when his knees still felt this weak and he knew, no matter what she said, that she had done this just to get to drive…but he wasn’t going to complain about it.


	5. Clothed Getting Off

 

            Rubbing her neck, Elora sighed deeply. She was bone tired from all the meetings and reports she had had to handle today. Josephine had been kind enough to schedule a break for her to eat lunch and catch a power nap but it wasn’t near long enough. Not when she knew that she had to go back into meetings for the rest of the day.

            She’d been hoping that Cullen would have been on lunch as well but he’d had meetings of his own and drills with the soldiers. So she had eaten in relative silence, flicking through the emails on her tablet and absently playing a game. Then she’d fallen asleep on the table and only woken up because she’d set an alarm to make sure she didn’t miss the rest of the meetings. She had taken a couple minutes to splash water on her face to help wake herself up before she’d shuffled out of her rooms and back toward Josephine’s offices.

            Who knew that saving the life of someone would warrant so much attention? Although when that person was the empress of Orlais…it stood to reason she supposed.

            Letting her hand fall as she turned a corner, she sighed as she walked toward the elevator. What had Josephine said? Meetings with a few Orlesian diplomats, traders, going over missives from Ferelden? Maker help her, she didn’t want to do any of that and it could take hours to do it. She’d only been back at Skyhold for a few days, she’d barely recovered from the latest ordeal she had had to face, and she was supposed to smile and nod at the powdered fops that now wanted to give her the time of day. They’d been coming in droves since the Winter Palace, packs of them there when she got back from other missions just waiting to set into her.

            Pushing the button for the floor Josephine was on, she silently thanked Herritt for fixing the elevators as fast as he had. If she’d had to walk up six flights of stairs right now, she would have called Josephine and told her she was done, she wasn’t coming. Leaning back against the railing on the back wall of the elevator, she closed her eyes and tried to tell herself she wasn’t as tired as she actually was.

            She heard footsteps as someone else got onto the elevator before the doors closed. She didn’t look, knew that the only way someone could have been down here was if they were part of her Inner Circle. Inhaling slowly, her lips curved upward at the cologne that reached her. “I thought you were busy,” she murmured.

            The steps came toward her and she lifted her lashes as he braced his hands on either side of her on the railing. “Finished up early. Was hoping I’d catch you before you went back to your meetings.”

            “Caught me you have,” she murmured, smiling at him. “But you’ve got five minutes before we get to Josephine.”

            He shook his head. “Not enough time.”

            Elora shrugged tiredly. “That’s all I’ve got,” she apologized sadly.

            Cullen studied her for a long moment. “How long can the elevator be manually stopped before someone will look into it?”

            She frowned at him. “I don’t know. Five minutes?”

            “Seven,” he corrected, crossing the elevator to push the button.

            Gripping the railing as the car bobbed, Elora blinked at Cullen as he came back to her. “So you have roughly twelve minutes,” she said slowly, “to do what exactly?”

            His lips curled before he was tipping her face up to his and kissing her.

            Elora let go of the railing to grip him instead, one hand in his shirt, the other moving to hold the back of his neck. A pleased sound left her as he slipped into her mouth even as his hands trailed down her sides. Twelve minutes wasn’t nearly long enough to really do anything but she wasn’t going to protest the kiss. Not when she’d missed him on her break.

            A startled noise slipped out of her when she felt him undoing her pants. “Cullen, we don’t-”

            “Shh,” he breathed, his hand sliding between cloth and skin.

            Rising on her toes with a sharp inhale, Elora stared up at him in shock. “Here?” she squeaked.

            His smile was lazily as he shifted his hand further into her pants. “Here,” he agreed.

            Elora’s head thumped back against the wall as his finger moved over her clit. He wasn’t even doing it slowly, rubbing firm, tight circles over her already. “Cullen,” she gasped, pushing into his touch.

            He was watching her, that smile curling more to a smirk now, the lazy, powerful look of a man who had his woman exactly where he wanted her. His finger slid down slightly, coating him in her arousal before he went back to rubbing her.

            Her lips parted as she pushed against him again, her breaths choppy. Maker’s tits, how did he do this to her? But she felt like she could climax just from how he was watching her, heat and lust burning in his eyes. “Fuck,” she whispered.

            “No time for that,” he corrected, nudging her legs a little further apart. “Maybe when you’re done your meetings.”

            Arching her back, she whimpered at the thought. She’d be able to make it through whatever lord or lady she had to talk to if she knew that he was waiting for her when it was over. But that was later. Right now…right now she wanted to come on his fingers.

            Moaning deeply as he wedged his hand further into her pants, she cried out as he thrust two fingers inside her. The angle was horrible, he couldn’t get them deep enough, but she still squeezed them. Rocking against him, she hummed in the back of her throat. She wanted more but wasn’t going to protest what she could get.

            Her head tipped to the side as his lips found her neck, whispering kisses and nips over her skin. She could feel the heat pouring off of him and wondered if they would have time to do something about his arousal as well. A part of her wanted him to wait, to wait until she was done with the day before he did anything about it, to wait until he could get his hands on her again. She moaned his name, wriggling her hips to try to get him deeper, wanting more from him right now.

            A choked protest left her when he pulled his hand away completely and she bucked forward to try to find him. She sucked in a breath when he moved one thick thigh between hers, pushing up on her sex. “Fuck!” she gasped again, rising on her toes at the sudden change.

            Cullen groaned her name as he didn’t move his leg, keeping it pressed hard against her. “Ells,” he breathed, teeth scraping against her neck. “Move.”

            Biting her lip, she forced her feet back down and rolled her body along him. It made pleasure spark through her and her nails scraped against him as she tried to get a tighter grip on him. Using him as a balance, she rocked over his thigh, rubbing the seam of her pants up against her wet sex. It was a poor substitute for his fingers or his cock, but the fact that they were doing this in an elevator that could start moving again at any moment made her heart pound. He knew they could get caught, they could easily get caught but he wasn’t stopping. Was whispering in her ear that he wanted her to orgasm for him instead.

            Pushing down harder against him, her head fell forward to press against his shoulder and both of her hands fisted in the front of his shirt. “Yes!” she moaned when his hand cupped one of her breasts, squeezing and rubbing his thumb over her nipple through the fabric. “Yes!”

            She was sure she felt his teeth close on her neck before he was leaving wet, sucking kisses on the places he had bit. She didn’t care what marks he left on her, she just wanted to climax. She didn’t care who saw the fresh marks on her because maybe they would flirt a little less if they knew she was already with someone.

            The elevator jostled around them and she thought she heard Cullen swear softly, muttering about it not being enough time. She moaned, loud and long, as his hand fell to her ass and he started pulling her along his thigh. She pushed against him, felt him brace his foot better so that he wouldn’t move and helped her ride him.

            “Look at me,” he demanded raggedly.

            Elora whimpered, pulling away from him enough to see his face, enough to see the desire coating his expression. She licked her lips, panting for air as his gaze roamed over her face, taking in her own passion. “Cull,” she gasped.

            She cried out harshly when he jogged his leg up, pushing against her unexpectedly and making her come apart.

            His grip on her ass tightened as she trembled against him, noises-broken sounds, his name, curses, pleas for more-tumbling from her open mouth. He was keeping her up as her legs shook on either side of his, her weight resting on him as she couldn’t support herself anymore. She was jerking at his shirt, pulling it out of the waistband of his pants with her writhing. And through it all, he watched her, golden eyes nearly black with his passion.

            It felt like an eternity before she regained feeling in her legs, felt like she could stand on her own, but she knew it had to be only a few minutes. They were on limited time and the doors hadn’t opened yet. But she was a gasping, quivering mess in his arms and she was supposed to go to meetings.

            And he looked far too pleased with himself.

            “Cullen,” she mumbled as his hands moved to fix her pants, shifting languidly against him.

            He dropped a quick kiss on her upturned mouth but didn’t go further than that. “Meetings, Ells.”

            “You ass,” she moaned, twisting on his leg.

            He had the nerve to chuckle at her before it became a sharp hiss as her hand fell to cup him through his pants. “Don’t,” he growled, hips snapping forward at the touch.

            “You don’t,” Elora threw back at him. “This is mine.”

            “It’s attached to me so I’m pretty sure it’s mine,” he said dryly, even as he pushed against her again.

            She shook her head. “Nope. Mine and I want it as soon as my meetings are over.”

            “I’m not waiting like this for hours, Elora,” he told her, shifting his thigh from between hers and straightening in front of her.

            Staggering slightly without his support, she was thankful when his hands came back to her hips. “Fine but only if you think about me.”

            “Who else am I going to think about?” he countered.

            “Dunno, but you better keep thinking about me,” she told him as the doors slid open, “because I sure as fuck am going to be thinking about you.”


	6. Half-dressed Sex

 

            “Remind me again why we had to come to Orlais?” Cullen asked quietly, tugging on his tie.

            Elora swatted at his hands and redid the knot he had just loosened. “Apparently, when you save the empress it puts you on the guest list of every event that she has,” she said mildly.

            “That doesn’t explain why we had to actually be here,” he sighed. “We’ve sent representatives before.”

            “We have to make an appearance every now and then, lest they think we are being rude.”

            He looked down at her as she ran her hands along his chest. “You don’t want to be here either,” he accused.

            Bare shoulders shrugged and she gave him a helpless smile. “Not really, but I understand why and it’s a chance to dress up a bit, right?”

            His gaze moved down to her dress. Josephine had convinced her that she needed a different one than the one she had worn at the Winter Palace but he had no idea where they had found the scarlet gown she was wearing this time. It was as low cut as the first, but this one had full sleeves that started half way down her upper arm as opposed to leaving them bare. It hugged her figure as much as the last one, but had slim skirts instead of the floating sheer ones from before. He really didn’t know that much about dresses, but he did know it looked far too good on her. “You’re staying close to me tonight,” he muttered.

            She smiled at him. “Of course. There’s no need for me to be running around tonight so I’ll keep the nobles away from you,” she murmured.

            Cullen’s mouth twisted at the reminder. Their last social foray into Orlais had been anything but pleasant. Leliana had assured them that this time would be different, since they weren’t scrambling to protect Celene and learn who the traitors were. This time they were expected to do nothing more than socialise. Which he wasn’t exactly an expert at. He had no patience for these people that pretended their petty games were more important than what was actually happening in the rest of the world.

            “I mean it, Cullen,” she said softly, drawing his attention back. “I know you didn’t like being here last time and I’m not going to make you go through that again. Not if I can help it.”

            “You can’t stay with me the whole night, Ells,” he reminded her.

            “Need I remind you, Cullen, I’m the Inquisitor and I’ve saved Orlais’ beloved empress? If I want to stay near my lover’s side for the whole of the night, then that’s what I’m going to do. Besides, it helps matters that he happens to be the Commander of the Inquisition and has every right to stay with me no matter who wants to speak with me.”

            “And if they only want to talk to me?”

            “Well, they should be honoured that I’m choosing to be part of the conversation,” she said cheekily, grinning at him.

            Cullen laughed and shook his head. He didn’t know what else to do with her sometimes.

            Elora gave his tie, scarlet to match her dress, a small tug before moving away from him. “We should probably get going. I don’t really feel like drawing more attention than we already will.”

            He watched her scoop up the delicate golden half-mask that had been sent with the invite. It fastened with a thin, golden ribbon that he knew she wasn’t going to be able to tie herself. Following her, he took the mask from her and lifted it while he stood behind her. He waited while she adjusted it, gently holding it against her face where it was supposed to sit before he fastened the ribbons. “Too tight?” he asked.

            “No,” she murmured. “I’ve got a few pins to help hold it in place. Do you need help with yours?”

            “I’m fine,” he assured her, his gaze still on her as she moved to the vanity.

            His mask was on the bed and he quickly put the simple black creation on. He’d refused embellishments when Josephine had put in the order for it, not wanting to stand out in the slightest. It didn’t help that he felt ridiculous in the black suit, completely out of place without the same trappings he’d worn when they’d been here with the Inquisition. But the Inquisition wasn’t here as a force, they were simply guests of the empress this time. The only admission he had made was the tie, the bold colour Josephine had convinced him would be more than appropriate. Once he had seen Elora’s dress he had understood why.

            Looking at Elora again, he saw pale eyes were watching him in the mirror even as she pinned the ribbons in place. He watched them dart down to his mouth as he licked his lips, taking in the bare expanse of her upper back, the curls swept over her shoulder, the exposed column of her neck…the fine chain around it that he knew his luck coin was hanging from. When her eyes lifted to his again, he didn’t hesitate.

            Cullen crossed the room to her in long strides, slipping his arms around her waist. “Have I told you I love you today?” he asked, leaning down to kiss her ear and still holding her gaze in the mirror.

            “Yes,” she said softly, her hands falling to clutch at his forearms.

            He caught the side of her ear in a gentle bite, running his tongue along the edge of her. “Have I shown you?” he rumbled.

            A tiny mewl left her and she shook her head slightly. “No,” she breathed.

            “Then allow me, my lady,” he murmured.

            Her head fell back against him with a moan as he kissed along her neck, but she didn’t break eye contact with him. Her teeth worried her lip as he reached the crook of her neck and her lashes fluttered when he inhaled slowly. She shifted on her feet, rubbing her thighs together under her skirt and pushing back against him.

            He carefully bit down on her, knowing he couldn’t leave marks before the event. But he held her still as his hips rocked forward, grinding his hardening cock into her ass. Her moan was music to his ears, breathy and desperate. His hands slid up to cup her breasts through her dress. “Ells,” he said softly, “where’s your bra?”

            “Don’t have one,” she whimpered, arching her back and driving the question from his mind.

            It pushed her breasts into his hands and her ass back into his hips. He had half a mind to keep her like that, especially when her hands fell to the vanity surface to keep her balanced. Rubbing his cheek against her skin, he smiled slowly at her as she panted in front of him. “All those nobles are going to think you’re beautiful as soon as you walk in,” Cullen breathed. “Only I’m going to know that the flush on your skin is going to be because I just fucked you.”

            Her breath caught on a moan and her eyes opened wide behind her mask. He knew why. He didn’t usually talk like that to her, she was the one that whispered the dirty things she wanted to do and he obliged. But not right now…right now he knew what he wanted to do.

            His hands fell back down to her middle, running over the smooth silk of her dress. He let them move further before they stopped when her eyes squeezed shut. “Elora, look at me,” he said firmly.

            She blinked a few times before her eyes opened again, locking on his in the mirror.

            “Don’t close them,” he said lowly, gathering handfuls of her dress in his hands.

            He felt her swallow, her skin moving under his lips as he nuzzled her. She was shaking against him, little pleased noises escaping her as he bared her legs. She might have shivered because of the slight chill in their room but he chased it away by moving closer to her again. “Cullen,” she moaned.

            Shifting the fabric of her skirt into one hand, the other slid along her thigh until he was cupping her ass. He fingered the lace edge of her panties, slipping his fingers under the fabric to stroke more of her. He felt her shift, spreading her legs for him and he couldn’t stop the slow grin that pulled at his mouth. Hooking his fingers into the material, he pulled the satin down her legs as far as he could reach before leaving it.

            Her thighs shook on either side of his hand as he trailed it back up the insides of them. A sharp moan left her when he cupped her, rubbing against slick folds almost lazily. She tried to spread her legs more, to get him to touch more, but her panties wouldn’t allow it. The fabric had a bit of stretch but not nearly as much as she wanted.

            But he gave her a small bit of mercy, slipping his fingers between her sex to find her clit with the middle one. She rose up sharply on her toes before dropping back down to push into him. “You’re already so wet, Ells,” he murmured, lips moving over her shoulder. “What were you thinking about?”

            Her mouth was pressed together into a flat line and it took several moments before she whispered, “You.”

            His cock jerked behind the fly of his pants at the admission but he held off from opening them just yet. “Me? That it?” he asked, his hand moving along the length of her wet folds even as she whimpered at the loss of his touch.

            “The suit,” she muttered. “The mask, wanting you to…to take me while wearing them.”

            Cullen smiled slowly and saw her lick her lips in the mirror. “That’s what you wanted?”

            She nodded shortly.

            “I think I could manage that,” he murmured, keeping his hand between her thighs as he let go of her skirts. He was pleased when she caught them quickly with one hand and used the other to brace herself. Pulling on the zipper of his trousers, he didn’t look away from her as he went to free his cock.

            “In the shadows of the ballroom,” Elora whispered, gaze rapt on his.

            Cullen froze completely, his heart hammering in his chest. His cock was in hand and the other getting wetter by the second the longer it stayed between her thighs. “The ballroom?” he repeated in a low rumble.

            He saw her swallow, saw her eyes darken, saw her chest heave. “Like a stranger, an admirer pushed past his limit,” she continued, her voice wavering.

            He felt his cock jump in his hand at the very idea. “Ells,” he murmured.

            “Another time,” she pleaded. “Want you now. Need you.”

            His eyes closed for a brief moment, squeezing shut at the passion in her voice. Then he was shifting forward, hands switching positions as he used her arousal to slick himself. The other settled on her hip, pulling her up and back to him. “Bend over more,” he whispered, rubbing the head of him against her wetness.

            She had to take a small step back to continue holding his gaze but she leaned forward. Her mouth fell open on a gasp as he nudged the head inside of her, tight muscles squeezing him before he was even fully in.

            Cullen didn’t look away from her, holding himself still for another second before his hips snapped forward and he buried himself as deep as he could get. Her cry rang through the room, out through the open balcony doors and no doubt to the garden a few floors down. It made his blood burn and his heart pound in his chest. Leaning over her, he pressed his chest to her back, fitting them together as closely as he could get them.

            Her lower lip had disappeared between her teeth again, the bright red of it not only from her lipstick. He wasn’t surprised when the hand holding her skirts let go and slammed forward to brace herself on the mirror. He could see the glow on her palm in the glass, the anchor flaring and fluctuating as he started to move inside her.

            She rocked against him, using the mirror to give her something to push against to meet his thrusts. Her curls bounced every time he slid home, pulling her back to meet him and jarring her slightly. She didn’t protest, didn’t make any noise that wasn’t coated in pleasure. Her lashes fluttered several times but he slowed his movements every time until she was looking at him again. He wanted to watch her come apart, wanted her to see them both in the mirror.

            He spared nothing in taking her, knowing they both needed to climax fast, knowing it wouldn’t take much for either of them to reach that peak. Listening to her, feeling the way she trembled against him, knowing her so very well, Cullen reached around, fingers slipping back between her thighs.

            She cried out again, louder than before as he found her clit. Jerking against him, she had nowhere to go, trapped between his pounding hips and rubbing fingers. Both of her hands landed on the mirror and she pushed back against him as much as she could, rolling her hips to take him deep.

            It wasn’t long before she was throwing her head back, moaning his name as she shook against him. He gritted his teeth as she squeezed him, rippling and tight around him as she came. He wrapped his free arm around her waist, holding her while he sought his own end. She was whimpering his name, staring at him pleadingly in the mirror while she trembled.

            His brows drew together and he buried his face in her neck as his climax came. He still slid inside her, motions erratic as pleasure pumped through him. He was only vaguely aware of her gripping his hand to pull it away from her clit as he rolled his body against hers, his seed spilling into her as he gasped for air.

            The hand she had been holding moved to brace against the top of the vanity when he felt her knees quiver and he knew his own weren’t much better.

            “Cullen,” she mumbled.

            He muttered something and pressed his face further into her neck.

            “Cullen,” she sighed, rolling her head so she was pressing against him.

            Not wanting to, but doing it anyways, he lifted his head to meet her gaze once again in the mirror. She was smiling faintly, the perfect picture of a woman sated. Yet another thing the nobles downstairs would never see or know. “I love you,” he said softly.

            Her smile grew. “I love you too.”

            He went to say something else but bells rang through the whole of the palace and he groaned while she laughed faintly.

            “And we are now fashionably late,” she murmured. “Although with the way my legs are feeling, I’m not sure we’ll get there in an acceptable amount of time.”

            He grunted an agreement and kissed her neck.

            Her gaze softened and she reached back to gently run her fingers through his hair. “Good thing I don’t care,” Elora breathed.


	7. First Time

            Pushing his hand back through his hair, Cullen sighed deeply. Today had been very long and he was glad it was over. It never seemed to end. They solved one problem and another popped up. It didn't matter that they were attempting to battle an ancient evil, the very stuff of nightmares. Everyone wanted them to fix every tiny squabble that popped up. He fully expected someone to bring a purely ridiculous matter to Elora and it would be too much, she would have done with it. Except her manners would never allow her to turn someone away, no matter how trivial the dispute seemed. 

            But it was getting harder to watch her take on more responsibilities when she shouldn't have to. She already did so much for so many people, barely took any time for herself, and he could actually see her shoulders slumping whenever she came back and there were droves of people waiting for her. He tried to make the burden lighter but everyone and their dog wanted to talk to the Herald, the fabled Inquisitor. Not an ex-Templar they talked about behind his back but gave fake smiles when he turned to them. 

            It wasn't even just the Orlesians. The members of the Bannorn who came to beg favours of Elora looked down their noses at him as well. Especially when they found out he was from tiny Honnleath. He made no secret of where he was from and refused to back down to anyone that tried to belittle him because of that. He was the Commander of the Inquisition and he had a say in who did and didn't see the Inquisitor. A fact they were slowly learning. 

            Of course it was all for naught when no one could even find the Inquisitor. 

            Elora had disappeared a couple hours ago, giving no word of where she was going or how long she was going to be. He had figured she'd turned in for the night and he couldn't blame her. If it hadn't been for the fact that he knew the paper work on his desk would multiply over night, he would have retired earlier as well. But he'd finished what he could and left the rest for tomorrow, hoping he hadn’t just set himself up for a disaster.

            Rounding the corner to his room, he stopped dead when he saw who was standing outside of his door. “Elora? What are you doing here?” he asked, starting forward again. 

            She gave him a sweet smile. “Waiting for you.” 

            He could see that, but why? “Have you been here long?” 

            “Not really. I know you’re busy.” 

            “You could have come by my office. You know where it is.” 

            She pushed away from the wall. “I wanted to talk to you. Alone.” 

            Something shifted in his chest at that, but he told himself not to read too much into it. It had been a while since it had just been the two of them, they barely had time to talk about anything that was outside of the Inquisition. “Did you want to go somewhere else? There are plenty of places we could talk and not be bothered.” 

            “Here is fine.” 

            “Here as in the hallway,” he said quietly, “or in my room.” 

            “Your room,” she said just as quietly, not looking away from him. 

            Moving past her, he unlocked it before holding the door open for her. He was pleased when she walked in only far enough for him to join her before she was facing him. The mess in his room wasn’t exactly something he wanted other people to see, but he had a feeling she wasn’t even going to notice. Leaning back against the door, he watched her in the low light. “What did you want to talk about, Inquisitor?” 

            “No, call me Elora. It isn’t right if you’re calling me that.” 

            “What isn’t right?” he asked. 

            “That day we kissed,” she said softly, “do you think about that at all?” 

            His gut tightened and he felt a flare of desire wash through him. “I do,” he admitted lowly. 

            “In a good way?” 

            “Is there any other way to look at it?” he asked, frowning. “Do you not think of it in a good way?” 

            “No! I mean, I do,” she quickly corrected. “I…I think about it a lot actually.” 

            “You’ve never mentioned that,” Cullen murmured. 

            “There wasn’t really a lot of time.” Elora stopped before sighing. “No, okay, there was time. There’s been plenty of time, I just, you never mentioned anything about it either so I thought you didn’t want to talk about it. So I didn’t talk about it.” 

            “I think about that day a lot too, Elora,” he admitted, pushing away from the door. 

            “You do?” she said hopefully. 

            “More than I care to admit,” he said, cupping her face. “It is exceptionally hard to focus when you’re talking to me when I know how soft your lips are, how you feel when you’re in my arms.” 

            “You do a splendid job hiding it.” 

            His head tipped slightly. “I didn’t want to distract you.” 

            Elora’s tongue swiped over her lower lip. “I’d really like you to distract me, Cullen,” she murmured.

            Making a low noise, he kissed her. It started like the kiss she had given him, slow and sweet, but edged with something more. That more was what drove him forward, had him slipping between parted lips to flirt with her. When her arms slid around his neck, his hands fell from her face to grasp her hips. He kept her steady while she stood on her toes to reach him, swaying slowly against him. He suddenly wanted to feel that again, but without a stitch of clothing between them.

            Wrapping his arm around her waist, Cullen straightened and lifted her off her feet. A soft giggle left her as he carried her toward his bed and she pressed light kisses to his face that set him on fire, wanting them everywhere on him. Setting her down next to the edge of it, he stifled a groan as she rubbed against the length of him, sliding down along his body. “This is what you want?” he asked, slowly popping the buttons on her shirt from their holes. He was sure he knew the answer, but he wanted to be positive, to hear her actually say it so he didn’t have to stop.

            “You are what I want,” she corrected, running her fingers through his hair.

            Maker, to hear her actually say that. Sliding his hands under the material of her shirt, he waited for her arms to drop before he pushed it off of her, down her arms to pool on the floor. Black lace was cupping her breasts, a stark contrast to her pale skin. He let the tips of his fingers trail down her chest, slowly rubbing against the skin just above the lace. She was soft, softer than anything he had ever touched and he almost pulled his hands away. He was covered in callouses, scars, rough patches, a testament to the life he had lived.

            Before he could think about pulling away from her, of hesitating on going any further, she reached behind herself, undoing the clasp of her bra to let it join her shirt on the floor. A shaking breath left him as her hands came back around to grasp his wrists and she put his hands right back on her breasts. “Maker’s breath,” he breathed lowly, his thumbs swiping over pink nipples and watching them harden.

            Elora sighed as he kneaded at her, her head tipping back as she arched toward him.

            Keeping one hand cupped around her, Cullen bent over her until he could wrap his lips around her nipple. Her hands went to his shoulders to brace herself as they fisted in the material of his shirt, a moan leaving her as he sucked at her. Running his tongue around the tight bud in his mouth, he felt her tremble against him as she leaned back further. He slid his arm around her waist to help her balance but he couldn’t hold her for long.

            They tumbled backwards on the bed, her yelp becoming a laugh as she bounced on the mattress and he caught himself above her. “Sorry,” she murmured, smiling up at him.

            He shook his head slowly. It didn’t matter, this was where they were going to wind up anyways. He’d wanted her naked before they’d gotten there but he could adapt.

            “No, come back here,” she murmured as he slid down her body.

            Cullen pressed kisses against her, lingering over the soft flesh of her stomach. He felt her quiver, no doubt wanting him to move on, but he stayed there for a moment and closed his eyes. She was warm under him, soft, and the lingering lyrium in his veins could feel the magic humming in hers. It was there just under her skin, always part of her and something he would never change.

            “Cullen?”

            He kissed her again before he moved. His knees hit the floor and he knelt at the edge of the bed while his fingers hooked into the side of her pants. There was only an elastic keeping them up and he slowly started pulling them down her legs, giving her more than enough time to stop him if that was what she wanted. But she didn’t, lifting her hips to help him remove her clothing. He’d caught her underwear as well, leaving her bare for him but he had to stop when he reached her ankles.

            Her laughter rang in his ears as he jerked her shoes and socks off with an angry mutter, tossing them aside without care before he finished with her pants. She had pushed herself up on her elbows to look at him, a faint smile on her face. “I seem to be at a distinct disadvantage,” she murmured, her gaze flicking over him.

            He didn’t think so. She could ask him to do anything right now and he would have done it. It didn’t matter how ridiculous or far-fetched it seemed; he would do it without question for her. But if they were going to go further than this, he needed to do something about it. Reaching behind him, he fisted his hand in his shirt and pulled it over his head.

            Her eyes moved over him, soaking in every inch. “Look at you,” she breathed.

            “You’ve seen me before,” he said quietly.

            “Yes, but this time I get to touch you. It makes all the difference in the world, Cullen.”

            She was going to put her hands on him, not to heal or reassure herself that he was alright or point him in the right direction. She was going to touch him with the express purpose of bringing them both pleasure. Groaning, he rose to his feet and tugged on his belt. He needed to get back on that bed with her but he wasn’t going to do it until he was as naked as she was.

            Elora was watching him hotly before she pushed the full way up and batted his hands aside. She was far more efficient at dealing with the belt and his pants, having them both loose in no time at all. But she didn’t push them down his legs, she let go of them to stretch back out on the bed, a small smile on her lips.

            Breathing deeply, he kicked his boots off and shoved what was left of his clothing down and off of him. She didn’t look away from his face as he moved above her again, quietly guiding her so she was lying along the length of the bed. But she did inhale sharply when his cock brushed against her thigh.

            He moaned when she parted her legs, slipping them on either side of his and silently begging him to settle against him. There was no point in resisting her, no point in making either of them wait longer than they already had. He gritted his teeth, bowing his head over her when she took him in hand. She rubbed him slowly as she moved him, gently lining him up with her.

            “Are you sure?” he forced out, feeling the wet heat of her as she rubbed the head of him through her slick folds.

            “Trust me,” she breathed. “I’m ready for you.”

            A pained noise-wail, whine, he didn’t know-left him as he fit against her entrance, already pushing forward before she had even let him go. Her hand moved to clutch at his hip as he felt her stretching around him, her body slowly giving way as he filled her. He tried to keep his eyes on her face, watching as she tipped her head back into the blankets, her mouth falling open on a pleased moan, but the urge to close them won.

            Bowing his head over hers, he kept pushing before he slowly withdrew when it wasn’t easily done. He braced his forearms on either side of her head, curling his lower body to slide back into her. He got a little deeper and earned a tiny sigh from her.

            Her legs shifted on either side of him, one moving to curl around his, the other shifting so she could plant her foot on the bed. He could feel her thighs squeezing him for a moment before spreading again to let him move easier above her. “Cullen,” she sighed, arching into him when he thrust slowly into her.

            He could feel sweat trailing down his spine as he started moving, getting a little deeper with every thrust until he couldn’t fill her anymore. Her sighs filled his ears as she rocked with him, meeting him every time he slid into her. Her hands were on his back, clutching and kneading at him as he took her. When she tugged on him, he didn’t resist, lowering until he rubbed against her with every thrust. He kissed her back when her mouth found his, one of her hands winding her fingers through his hair.

            _“Cullen?”_

            Groaning, he tore his mouth from hers to bury his face in her neck. Her scent surrounded him, her gentle murmurs for more all he could hear, her body under him more than he could have ever imagined. Maker, take him, he wasn’t going to last. He wasn’t going to be able to give her all that she deserved. He-

            “Cullen?”

            Jerking slightly as he felt someone shaking his shoulder, Cullen winced as the muscles in his back pulled from the sharp movement. Or maybe it was because he’d been slumped over his desk. He ran a hand over his face, feeling his heart pound in his chest before he realised there was a hand on him. He pushed himself up enough to be able to see and stared at Elora in confusion.

            She was looking at him in concern, that little line he wanted to kiss away back between her brows. She was also fully dressed and most certainly not in his bedroom or on his bed. “Are you alright?”

            He blinked at her before his mind fully woke up. A dream. He had been having a dream. He had been having a damn wet dream about Elora. Cullen sat up fully to slump back in his chair, groaning. Maker’s mercy, it had been a dream?

            “Cullen?” she repeated.

            “I’m fine,” he said raggedly, his voice shot.

            She didn’t look like she believed him but she pulled back from him. “If you say so,” she muttered. “You should probably go to bed if you’re that tired. You’re not doing yourself any favours by sleeping on your desk.”

            Nodding, he refused to get up while she was still standing there. He knew his cock was hard and right now the desk was the only thing keeping his erection out of her sight. “I’ll go in a little bit.”

            Elora grunted softly, clearly not believing him. “Alright,” she said quietly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

            He watched her leave before covering his face with both hands as soon as the door was closed. Sweet Maker, it had only been a dream and now he was once again reduced to pleasuring himself because no matter how much he wanted, Elora was not his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled with what to do for this one because Elora and Cullen's first time in the main story is...very different than this and far more intrinsic to the plot so I wasn't going to write it for this series. So this was the default and all I could really think of. Feel slightly mean doing that to Cullen, especially considering what's to come, but then again I kinda don't. These are also getting progressively longer which is the complete opposite of what I wanted….


	8. Against the wall ( or the car)

 

            Smiling to herself, Elora listened as Varric launched into another story that would no doubt leave everything crying from laughing so hard. But she only listened to the sound of his voice, not really paying attention to the words anymore. After being alone for so long, it was good to be surrounded by people she called friends and just being near them was more than enough for her.

            She let her gaze move over the area. They had set up shop in one of the abandon ruins in the Hinterlands, after clearing out the bandits that had taken up residence. That seemed to be a definite theme to her life now. Go somewhere, find either demons or bandits, and get rid of them. Oh and sealing rifts. Couldn’t forget about that.

            She stretched her legs out before hopping down from the crates she had been sitting on. As amusing as Varric’s story was, she was done for the day. She gave him a faint wave when he looked at her, telling him to ignore her as she started for the archway leading out of the main area. There weren’t a lot of rooms in the old fort and she was honestly the thing was still standing. A soft snort left her. Varric would tell her it was the stubbornness of the Fereldens seeping into everything they touched.

            They had mostly set up camp in the area behind the fort, using the old building and the higher hills for defense if they needed it. Of course, Bull had taken one look at the hill and decided he was driving a rover up it and nothing was going to deter him. She had sat on the ramparts, watching with a grin on her face while Cullen muttered beside her about how he was going to ruin the damn thing. But he had gotten it up with the heavier supplies in it no less and saved them all a lot of carrying.

            Of course, he’d been a little too proud of himself and she could still hear him being noisy as he drank to his victory.

            “Not one for story time anymore?”

            She looked at the voice and saw Cullen coming towards her. “It’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not with him,” she murmured. “And I don’t have the brainpower right now to try to figure out where the exaggerations are.”

            “Still haven’t finished the Tale of the Champion then?” he asked in amusement, offering his arm to her.

            Hooking hers through it, she leaned against his shoulder and slowly inhaled. He wasn’t wearing it but he smelt like the leather jacket she enjoyed stealing. “When do I have the time to read?” she muttered. “And why would I read that when Olivia freaking Hawke is back at Skyhold?”

            “Are you going to ask her though?” he said and she could hear him trying not to laugh.

            “Oi, shut it,” she growled, digging her knuckle into his ribs and making him jerk away from her. Of course that made them both stumble slightly and his arms snapped around her to keep them both upright. “So I was a little star struck, she’s the Champion of Kirkwall!”

            “I think she’s used to it.”

            Elora huffed, burying her face in his chest. She didn’t want to think about her first meeting with Hawke, or the fact that she wasn’t sure she had actually been able to form proper sentences. But Olivia seemed to like her for some reason so she supposed she hadn’t made a complete fool of herself?

            “Here, come with me. I wanted to show you something.”

            She made a huffing sound again and followed him as he took her hand. He led her away from the stone building, past the tents to where the rover had been parked. The lights from the fires and lamps strung around the tents didn’t really make it over here, especially on the far side of the vehicle which was where he took her. “Cullen?”

            “Look up, Ells.”

            She did and stared for a long moment. The night was crystal clear and thousands of stars were twinkling overhead. “Oh,” she whispered.

            “We don’t get to see them much,” he admitted. “What with Skyhold being underground and spending so much time in populated areas lately. Or the mess of clouds that always seem to be covering the area where rifts are.”

            Having grown up and lived all of her life in cities, she never got to see the stars like this and he had remembered her mentioning it, what? Once? Her gaze dropped to him, barely able to make out his profile in the moonlight.

            “They’re in rare form tonight,” he said. “Usually you can’t see-Ells?”

            She smiled even though she wasn’t sure he could see it as she pushed him back against the rover. “I can think of something else that’s in rare form tonight,” she murmured, leaning into him.

            She felt his chest move as he inhaled quickly before his hands were settling on her hips. “I didn’t bring you over here for this,” Cullen said quietly.

            “No? You don’t want to make love under the stars?” she breathed, winding her arms around his neck and standing on her toes to press quick kisses to his mouth.

            “It wasn’t the original plan, but I won’t protest it,” he said. “Granted that requires you kissing me properly.”

            She laughed softly and did just that. Her laughter turned into a sigh as he deepened the kiss, lifting her slightly to turn them both. He caught her moan as he pressed her between him and the side of the rover. Pushing against him, she smiled as he growled at her, hips bucking into her.

            Shivers wound through her when he tugged her shirt out of the waistband of her pants and one palm slid up between fabric and skin. A mewl slipped out of her when his fingers caught the material of her bra and pushed it up over her breasts. She mumbled something into his mouth as he cupped her, thumb moving back and forth over her nipple. It felt like forever since he had touched her but it had only been a few days, at most.

            A soft hiss left her when he pinched her nipple, rolling it between his fingers. “Be nice,” she muttered.

            He chuckled lightly, kissing along her jaw. “Considering the things you do to me, that isn't anything.”

            Elora wanted to say something but he was right, she was a horrible tease. She moaned instead as both of his hands cupped her breasts, playing with her under her shirt. His mouth was pressing just under her ear now, his breath hot against her skin. Shifting anxiously on her feet, she wanted nothing more than for him to fuck her right now. But knowing him he was going to-a long moan left her as one hand slid down to tug at her belt.

            “Shh, Ells, wouldn't want anyone to come see why their Herald is making so much noise.”

            “Maker take you,” she whispered, her voice wobbling as he got his hand into her pants.

            His chuckle was a low rumble over her skin that had her toes curling in her boots. Or maybe that was the finger doing slow sweeps over her clit. She didn’t know and frankly at this point she didn’t care.

            Dropping her arms from around him, she wriggled them between their bodies and started pulling on his belt. When he sucked in a breath and hissed her name, she didn’t stop, working the tongue of the belt free before working on the fastenings of his fatigues. “Something wrong, Commander?” she murmured as his hips bucked toward her again.

            “Not at all,” he groaned, burying his face in her neck.

            She would have rolled her eyes at him but he had pushed his hand further into her pants and was running his fingers over her slick sex. They gasped in tandem when she wrapped her fingers around his cock at the same time he slid his inside her. When neither of them moved, waiting on the other, a soft laugh left Elora and she nuzzled her face into his neck. “You first,” she breathed.

            “I was already first,” he muttered, but he curled his fingers inside her, searching for the spot that had her seeing stars.

            Before he could find it, she stroked her hand along him and earned herself a shudder and a half-shuffling step closer to her. He was murmuring things against her neck but they were too quiet for her to make out. She had a good idea most of them were don’t stop and she had no plans to. Her hand stuttered on him however when he pulled his forward, pressing his fingers against her front wall and making her rise up on her toes at the rush of pleasure she got from it. “Shit,” she whispered, “Cullen, I-“ Her lips clamped together when she heard footsteps nearby and she felt Cullen still against her.

            They both listened to the shuffling steps, to the slurring voice weakly singing a song. Neither of them moved, but Elora knew Cullen was most likely willing the other person to keep walking, to not even think about coming around the rover.

            Kissing Cullen’s neck, Elora gently started moving her hand again, pulling a low gasp from him. She kissed him again, flicking her tongue out and tasting the sweat on his skin. It was dark, the person was drunk, they were alright.

            “Get them off,” he growled against her.

            That would mean letting him go. “You do it,” she threw back at him.

            She clenched around him when he thrust his fingers into her. “No.”

            She did roll her eyes this time and shifted on her feet to use them to pull her boots off. It took a bit of work as her laces were still tight but she managed it. Pouting slightly as she uncurled her hand from around him, she finished what he had started, parting the fly of her fatigues and gasping when he moved his hand further into her panties. “You bastard,” she choked out, pushing back into the rover to try to get away from him.

            It didn’t work as he simply followed her, crowding her against the door.

            “You’re not helping,” she muttered, panting softly as he worked his fingers inside her. Sometimes it was thrusting them as deep as he could get, others were making a come here motion that had him rubbing against that fucking spot.

            Cullen rubbed his cheek slowly against her neck, making a low rumbling noise deep in his throat. It was a long minute before his hand slid out of her, however, hooking his fingers into her pants to help her slide them down her legs.

            The light wasn’t good but she could just make out his face as he knelt in front of her. Her hands braced on his shoulders as he helped her step out of the fatigues, shaking slightly because she could feel the heat rolling off of him as he studied her face. She gasped sharply when he leaned forward, his mouth pressing a wet kiss to her, his tongue flicking out to taste her arousal. “No, no, no,” she whispered, trying to get away from him. She wouldn’t be quiet if he put his mouth on her. There was no way she would be quiet.

            He hummed against her, drawing another gasp from her while his tongue didn’t stop licking her.

            “Cullen,” she pleaded, tugging on his shirt.

            Slowly rising to his feet, his hands slid up her legs and caught one of her knees. He hitched it over his hip, moving so he was wedged between her thighs.

            A moaning sigh left her as he brushed against her, his cock hot and hard as it probed between the slick folds of her sex. Shifting up on her toes, she rocked against him, loving the feel of him between her legs. But it didn’t last long, not when she knew they both wanted him inside her.

            They both moved, him grasping his cock and her spreading herself to make it easier for him. Elora bit down on her lip as he started to push inside, her leg trembling as she kept herself upright. Her moan turned into a soft grunt as he gave a short thrust, rocking her against the rover. “Easy,” she whispered.

            “Hold on,” he muttered.

            She barely had time to tighten her hold on him before the hand that had been holding his cock moved to grip her other knee. Her thighs tightened on him when he lifted her, bouncing her on his cock as he shifted his grip to her ass. He pressed her back into the vehicle, using it to help him keep her up. It also pushed him that little bit deeper, seating himself fully inside her.

            Elora could feel his breath on her face as he held them there, letting them both savour the moment. One of her arms slid around his shoulders, gripping the material over his back while the other stayed on his shoulder. He thrust into her, short and to the point, and it had her biting her lip to keep herself quiet. He didn’t stop, rolling his hips against her to move him inside her in short waves. Each push had her seeing stars as it ground him against her clit and he knew it, shifting so he rubbed her more.

            Letting her head fall back against the rover, she wasn’t surprised when he buried his face in her neck to muffle the small grunts leaving him as he took her. Her ankles had hooked behind his back, were pressing her heels into his ass to silently urge him on. She could feel his fingers flexing on her as he held her, digging into her as he pulled her to meet him.

            The wet sounds of him moving inside her filled the quiet and had her reaching between them, getting her fingers down to rub against her clit. She didn’t know where that person had wound up but she had no desire to be caught like this. The quicker she came, the quicker he would, and then they could tuck themselves into her tent. She tightened around him as she fondled herself, making him groan and bite down on her neck.

            She turned her head and bit his ear in return, making him buck harshly against her. He didn’t stop, pounding his hips into hers and making her shift against the rover. Or at least she would have if he hadn’t kept pulling her back into each thrust. Squeezing her eyes shut as he took her hard, she pressed her lips together to try to stifle the sounds leaving her. Maker, if he made her scream now! A gasping moan slipped out of her as she trembled against him, hovering on the edge of-

            “Is someone there?”

            Elora stiffened but Cullen didn’t stop moving, kept fucking her. “Kiss me,” she panted.

            He buried his face further into her neck, ignoring her completely.

            “I’ll scream,” she moaned as quietly as she could.

            “Hello?”

            Cullen moved sharply, his mouth crashing against hers as she inhaled swiftly. It was sloppy but both of them were panting, moving hard against each other before that person came around the rover.

            Her grip on his shirt tightened as her fingers stuttered against her clit before she was moaning deeply into the kiss. He answered with a moan of his own, his body straining against hers as he kept moving even as she clenched around him. She bounced against him as he thrust hard before he slowed to small, shallow rocks as he reached his own end.

            Elora tightened her grip on him, wrapping her arms around him again and squeezing him with her legs. She knew he would have to put her down soon, could feel the trembles running through him. One of her hands buried in his hair as their kiss gentled, turning slow and languid as they both floated on bliss for the moment. She broke it to gently rub her nose against his, smiling happily. “Cullen, I-”

            “Hello?”

            Both of their heads jerked toward the sound of the voice that was much closer than before. “Shit,” Cullen muttered, shifting his grip on her.

            She unwound her legs as he pulled out of her and set her down. Grasping blindly for the handle, she used it to keep her up when she felt them wobble. She heard his clothing shift as he fixed his appearance before she felt something soft being shoved at her.

            When she failed to grasp them the first time, he hissed, “Your pants, Elora.”

            Yes, she knew what they were and couldn’t do anything about her hands not working. She felt completely wobbly after sex, it wasn’t her fault! But she managed to grab them, not even bothering with her underwear as she shakily jerked them up her legs. “Cullen?” she whispered.

            “Go, get to the tent,” he told her, starting in the direction of the voice. “I’ll meet you there.”

            Stooping to pat frantically at the ground for her boots, she scrambled away as soon as she heard Cullen start talking to the person.

            “Jim…Of course it’s you,” she heard him sigh. “It’s always you.”

            “Oh! Commander! I didn’t see you there.”

            Elora bit down on her lip to keep from laughing as she barely heard Cullen mutter, “That was the entire point.”


	9. Skype Sex

 

Feeling his phone go off in his pocket for the fifth time in the space of five minutes, Cullen gritted his teeth. He knew who it was, knew it was Elora, knew she was texting him because she was in Val Royeaux and he was in Denerim. It was only supposed to be for a few days but it had turn into two weeks for them both, trying to hammer out the details of the peace talks between the two nations before either monarch sat at the same table. Neither of them liked the separation but they were dealing with it as best they could.

Elora was taking it harder than he was, texting him early to complain about how poorly she was sleeping without her human radiator. There was no one to cuddle in Orlais, which he reminded her was a good thing, but he knew what she had meant. They’d both tried to protest the separation but there had been a multitude of reasons given to them as to why her going to Celene and him going to Alistair was for the best. They’d both understood the reasoning and hated all of it.

When his phone went off again, he sighed harshly.

“Are you going to answer her?” Alistair asked mildly from his seat.

“It would be rude,” he muttered. He was slowly getting along better with Alistair now that he could see the king took the welfare of the people, of all of Ferelden seriously, far more seriously than he had Templar training.

“Cullen, you’re in a relationship with one of the most powerful women on the planet,” Alistair said dryly. “I am also in a relationship with another one of the most powerful women on the planet and I’m telling you that not answering her is far more rude than you pulling out your phone during a meeting.”

Cullen flicked him a look but Alistair was looking at the papers in front of him, glancing between them and the tablet in his hand. Pursing his lips, he shifted to pull the phone out of his pocket and unlocked it quickly. He called up her messages, scrolling up to the beginning of them.

_ Miss you.   
_

_ Next time you can have the Orlesians. I hate this so much.   
_

_ Would it be rude to take a selfie with Celene’s lion piece in the background? How does she wear that all the time?   
_

_ Never mind. It would be very rude to do that.   
_

_ At least you have Alistair and he makes jokes.These fops just sniff into their handkerchiefs and look down on me through their disturbing mask’s noses.   
_

_ …Want to see what I’m wearing?   
_

“Andraste preserve me,” he muttered, wondering if she was even in meetings right now. _‘Don’t you have work to do?’ _   


He groaned slightly when he saw that she was already responding nearly as soon as the message was delivered.  _Celene got called away. She apologized profusely but I’ve got the afternoon to myself. Are you free? _   


Cullen started to type no before he hesitated. Looking at Alistair, he saw the slight grin stretching his mouth and wanted to groan. The king knew what was about to happen and Cullen hated him for it. “Were we going to do anything more today?” he asked, looking at the paperwork.

“I think we’ve done enough. Feel free to skip dinner if she wants to talk, I can have a meal sent to your room.”

“I doubt we’ll be that long,” Cullen muttered, pushing out of his chair. “But thank you.”

Alistair said something in farewell but Cullen barely heard it as he looked at his phone again as he left the room.

_ Cull? _   


_ ‘I have a bit of time. I’ll call you in a couple minutes.’ _  Sliding his phone into his pocket, he walked down the hallways to the room Alistair had given him. It was the same one they had been given the last time he and Elora had been in Denerim so he had no problem finding it. He felt his phone buzz again and huffed out a breath. She couldn’t leave anything alone.

Once the door was closed behind him, he took the phone out and frowned at it.  _Computer instead? _

Rolling his eyes, he walked over to the desk where his laptop was humming quietly. He started a call with her but he didn’t sit down right away. The program beeped as it tried to connect and he shrugged out of his coat. “Hey,” he said absently, tossing the jacket at the bed.

“Are you sleeping enough?” she asked in concern.

“I’m fine, Ells,” he assured her. “Just long days and more paperwork than I want to look at.”

“Want to look at something else?” she teased.

Cullen laughed. “I will always rather look at you than anything….” He trailed off as he looked at the computer, actually looked at the screen.

She smiled at him. “Like it?” she asked, leaning back so he could see more of her.

Sinking into the chair at the desk, Cullen rubbed a hand over his mouth even as he felt his cock start to harden. “Yeah,” he said slowly. “Where did you get it?”

Elora’s head tipped to the side. “It’s Orlais, love. Lingerie shops are on every corner and I got convinced to go into some of them.”

“I can see that,” he murmured. He didn’t know what she was wearing below the camera, but on it she was in a red corset trimmed in gold.

“Remind you of anyone?”

He gave a strained laugh. “Is that why you bought it?”

“Well, yes, that and my breasts look fucking amazing in it.”

Yes, they did. “You going to wear that when we get home?” he asked, really liking the thought of getting his hands on her while she was wearing that.

“Of course. I did buy it for the both of us after all. Oh! And look what came with it too, to match!”

The noise that left Cullen as she stood up and all he saw was red and gold lace panties was low and primal.

Elora leaned to the side so she could see him in the camera again. “Someone likes,” she teased.

“You’re wearing a corset and panties in my colours. Tell me what isn’t to like about that? Except for the fact that you’re in Orlais and not in the same room as me.”

She sat back down, plopping her chin into her hands. “True, but we’re talking right now aren’t we?”

He stared at her, wondering if she was suggesting what he thought she was. “Elora, I’m in the king of Ferelden’s home,” he said slowly.

“And I’m in the empress’s palace. You’re there, I’m here, so that’s the best we’ve got.” She paused and gave him a smile. “You can say no, Cullen. We’ll see each other in a little while and the corset isn’t going anywhere.”

“No, no, I just meant.” He glanced at the door. “Hold on. I should lock that. ”

“Wait, what?!” Elora squeaked, making him pause in getting up. “You actually want to?”

Looking at the screen, he frowned at the shocked look on her face. “You’re the one that suggested it.”

“I didn’t think you’d actually agree to it!”

Because she rarely bluffed when it came to anything sexual between them. Pushing out of his chair, Cullen walked to the door and locked it. When he got back to the computer, he saw that her eyes were wide and her jaw had dropped. “You don’t want to?” he murmured quietly. “Because we haven’t done anything in a while.”

She was still staring at him. “Who are you and what did you do with my Cullen?”

He laughed even though his stomach was fluttering wildly at the thought of doing this. He didn’t have any problem being sexual with her when they were in the same damn room, even if sometimes the ideas she came up with made him need a moment, but this…they weren’t even in the same country. “It’s me, Ells.”

Slowly running the coin along the chain around her neck, Elora studied him through the screen. “Alright, Commander,” she murmured. “How do you want to do this?”

He didn’t even know. Was it a show and tell kind of thing or something else?

“Do you know what I love?” she breathed when he didn’t say anything. “When you’re so impatient to have me you don’t even fully take off our clothes. Just enough for you to get inside me,  it’s like you’re desperate to have me, starving for me.”

It was his turn to stare. He should have known she’d take to it quicker than he would.

Her fingers trailed down over her collar bone, stroking along the swells of her breasts. “When we’ve been separated for any length of time, you always strip me so quickly, getting me naked as fast as you can. My favourites are when we don’t even make it to the bed, just the nearest flat surface, whether it’s the floor or a desk. Whatever we can reach.”

He didn’t think telling her he was desperate to make sure she was alright was really setting the mood. “I prefer it when I come back and you’re wearing something like that,” he said softly. “Or nothing at all.”

Her smile was coy and her fingers moved to twist around loose curls. “One or the other, Cullen. Can’t have both.”

Rubbing his mouth with one hand while the other fell to rub his growing erection, he muttered, “Nothing at all. Definitely nothing at all.”

"Mm, it’s your lucky day, I’m feeling accommodating,” she breathed.

He watched as her hands moved to the ribbon lacing up the front of the corset. She’d barely unlaced it half way before he’d already undone his pants and taken his cock in hand. His strokes were long and slow, waiting to see what all she would do and not wanting to end too soon. “Maker’s breath,” he whispered as she pushed away the material, leaving her completely bare from the waist up.

Cupping her breasts, Elora smiled at him. “They don’t fit my hands as well as they do yours,”  she murmured.

He could see that, just like he could see her nipples peeking out from between her fingers as she spread them over the creamy flesh. “They look just fine from over here,”  Cullen said lowly.

“You’re biased. You like them best. Why else would you spend so much time licking and sucking on my nipples? Why else would you cup and squeeze them even when I’m not naked?  Why else would you cover them in kisses and bites every chance that you have?”

Tugging his shirt up, Cullen let his fingers trail over his stomach, stroking them in way that was meant to imitate what she did when she had her hands on him.  “They deserve to be worshiped.”

“I wish you could do that right now,” she sighed, rolling her nipples between her fingers. “Maker your mouth feels so good on me.”

“You know what it feels like,” he murmured. “You know how I suck on you, pinching the other so you can’t say I play favourites.”

A soft giggle left her. “You have a favourite breast?” she teased.

“They’re both my favourite.” And he knew how odd she got sometimes and knew it was something she would accuse him of.

“Just my breasts?” Elora breathed, her hands moving further down and out of sight of the camera.

“You’re my favourite,” he said lowly, knowing what she was doing as soon as a pink flush settled on  her cheekbones. “Tell me what you’re doing or stop that.”

“You’re one to talk,” she threw back at him. “How long have you been stroking your cock?”

“What did you want to know? That I love the way you hold me, even if you do it more gently than you have to? That I love the way you curl your tongue around the head before sucking on me? That I can’t think when you take me into your throat? ”

She arched her back, pushing her breasts toward the camera and no doubt her fingers were sliding inside her now. “I know you like that,” she murmured. “You came so hard when I did it the first time I almost came from the sounds you were making.”

It was his turn to flush because he hadn’t been able to stop himself. He’d never expected her to do that and when she had, he hadn’t been ready for it.

“You were so loud,” Elora moaned, squirming on her chair. “Moaning my name, begging me to not stop, to stop, you couldn’t make up your mind and then you just couldn’t move from your chair.”

She’d completely unmanned him, crawling up into his lap as he panted for air, purring like a content cat .

“I think I want to do that when we’re together again,” she murmured, raking her teeth over her lower lip.

Cullen squeezed his cock and moaned. “Don’t tell me that.”

“Uh uh,” she breathed, shaking her head. “I want you to think about it. I want you to think about when I take you in my mouth  and-”

“I am,” he groaned, slouching in his chair to better brace his feet against the floor.

Elora’s quiet moan came through the computer. “You have no idea how hot you are when you’re touching yourself,” she whispered.

Opening his eyes, Cullen stared at Elora, breathing hard at the sight of her. She had one hand cupping her breast again, thumbing her nipple, and the other was off camera but he knew where it was. “I think I have an idea.”

She smiled at him but it was wavering as she kept toying with herself. “I like it when you touch me,” she breathed, rolling her head along the top of her chair. “You fill me better.”

His hand jerked along his cock and he growled as he thought about how she squeezed him, no matter if it was his fingers or his cock. “I’d love it if I could touch you right now.”

“Only touch?”  she asked, her flush moving down her pale skin.

He threw a look at her but it melted off his face when she arched in her seat. What was she doing with her fingers?! “Elora, you know I would take you,” he said lowly. “On that desk or the bed or the floor if we didn’t make it to either of those. Or we could stay in the chair and you could ride me.”

She nodded quickly. “Yes, that. I want that!”

So did he now that he had said it. She hadn’t ridden him in a long time and he was going to fix that as soon as they were together. But for now…. “You’d tease me as much as you always do,” he said, voice stuttering as he watched her buck in her seat again. “Rocking and shifting your hips and not taking me .”

“You never let it last,” she whispered. “You always start fucking me, always thrusting as deep as you can get. You’re so impatient.”

“Because you tease,” he muttered, twisting his hand around his cock. He could just imagine her bouncing on his lap, curls dancing around her and fingers digging into his shoulders.

“You love me,” she moaned.

Maker did he ever. His hips were lifting off of his chair, pushing into his hand as if it was her. She wasn’t much better, twisting on her seat as if to get away from her own touch.  He watched her, wishing he could feel the warmth of her skin, the tensing of her muscles, the wet heat of her as he slid inside. Her lower lip was caught fast between her teeth and he could just pick up the slick sounds of her fingers moving inside her. “Tell me you’re close,” he groaned.

“Fuck,” Elora whimpered, her voice cracking. “I can’t-Cullen!”

He shuddered at her cry but he heard her frustration in it and knew what she wanted. “Come for me, Ells,” he gritted out, his own orgasm  hovering just out of reach. “I want to watch you climax while you think about me taking you.”

She inhaled quickly and let it out as a low wail, arching in the chair.

Cullen bit the inside of his cheek as her doing that put her breasts on full display, nipples tight and perfect for his mouth. “ Elora,” he growled.

Her cry rang through the room, the speakers amplifying it louder than he had expected, but he watched her raptly as she came apart, shuddering and writhing in her chair. It sent him over, his groan echoing hers. His hand stuttered over himself but he didn’t stop, wringing out every bit of his release as he watched her.

He was panting for air when she slumped in her chair, giving him a sleepy, sated smile. “Well,” she murmured after a long moment.

He didn’t have anything to say so he just kept watching as she hummed softly to herself, her warm gaze not wavering from him.

“Love you,” she breathed.

“I-” Cullen reacted quickly when someone knocked at his do or, slamming the top of the laptop down. Clearing his throat harshly, he looked at the door. No way was he going to answer it, not when he had cum splashed all over his front. “Yes?” he called, it coming out sharper than he had intended.

He heard the maid saying something, knew he should be paying attention, but his phone vibrated against the desk. Knowing it was Elora, he picked it up and nearly swallowed his tongue when he saw that she had sent him a picture of herself, corset still in a heap around her, one hand in her red panties, and a sweet smile on her face.

_ For you. For later. <3 _   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was probably the hardest one to write so far for reasons that I cannot fathom. But since the next prompt is one that I really wanted to write I told myself I had to finish this one before I could skip to the next one. Again. So here it is and here I go to attempt to write another one!


	10. Doggy Style

 

            Listening as Cullen rummaged around in the front of the rover, Elora absently played a game on her phone. She had messaged her cousin already, letting him know that they’d made it to the checkpoint and would be back from Nevarra tomorrow. He’d been less than impressed when she’d told him that he’d had to stay in Skyhold, the last report she had gotten from Dagna about his status telling her he needed a little more time to recover. He of course thought he was fine, but she was going to trust the expert, not the cousin that would throw himself away at a moment’s notice to keep her safe.

            She had told him over and over that she would be fine, Cullen was coming with her after all. He still hadn’t liked it, had texted and called her nonstop to make sure she was alright. She tried not to let it bother her, knew how bad he felt about everything and how seriously he was taking keeping her safe.

            Shifting her left hand, she stared at her palm for a moment. She had taken to wearing a fingerless glove on the hand most of the time, hating when people looked at the mark as it flared against her skin. The leather didn’t always supress it, sometimes there was nothing that could contain it, but it worked for the most part.

            “Is it bothering you?” Cullen asked as he came around the back.

            “Mm?” she murmured, lifting her head to look at him from where she was stretched out. The setting sun behind him made his hair burn, turning the golden locks ruddy. He probably had no idea how good an image he cut with it behind him.

            “The mark? Cassandra mentioned that sometimes it still hurts you.”

            “Oh, no, it’s fine right now,” she said, looking back at her game.

            “But it does hurt?”

            “Sometimes,” she admitted, “but nothing like in the beginning.”

            He grunted softly as she heard cloth rustle as he set something in the back.

            Putting her phone down when he climbed in next to her, she pushed up on her elbows to watch him as he took off his boots and closed the hatch. “Been a while since we’ve had to camp in the car,” she murmured.

            “We’ve only done it once,” he reminded her.

            “Still been a while.”

            Cullen shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it over the back seat. “At least it’s not raining?”

            Elora laughed softly and gave him a shove with her foot. The rain had been the least of their problems the last time they had stopped but she didn’t want to talk about that part. “And it’ll be warmer?”

            He gave her a half-smile. “I don’t remember you complaining about being cold last time.”

            She tried to shove him again, but he caught her ankle and gave her a tug. A small grunt left her as she flopped back onto the floor of the rover and gave him a look.

            “What?” he murmured, settling her legs on either side of him with her knees resting on his thighs.

            “I somehow doubt I’m going to be cold this time either,” she said quietly.

            Chuckling, he ran his hands along her calves, rubbing her through her pants. “When do I ever let you get cold?” he asked, pulling her a little closer so she was resting in his lap.

            Elora just smiled at him. Even without the way his body kicked out heat because of the lyrium he’d been taking, Cullen was still above and beyond warmer than her. Most mornings they woke up completely tangled together, her wrapped around him to get as much heat from him as she could. She knew tonight would be no different.

            She watched him as his hands moved up her legs, over her hips. She squirmed slightly when the tips of his fingers moved under her shirt, lightly stroking her sides just enough to tickle. His faint laugh made her huff. It wasn’t her fault she was ticklish, that the rasp of his rough fingers or stubble against her skin made her gasp and try to get away from him. He, however, enjoyed it immensely, sometimes going out of his way just to make her squirm.

            But he took mercy on her this time, his hands moving to undo her pants instead. It was her turn to laugh when he tried to pull them down her legs, forgetting they were on either side of him.

            He merely shot her a look, hooking her knees to bring both of her legs in front of him again. She didn’t resist him as he pressed them together, leaning them against his chest as he pulled her pants off completely. A tiny sigh left her when he turned his head to kiss her ankle before he tugged off her socks and moved her legs back down on either side of him.

            Elora arched a brow at him as he ran his hands over her again, long sweeps from her hips down to as far as he could reach back on her calves. She knew he wasn’t going to stop at stroking but she wasn’t going to rush him. She was more than content enough to lay back and see where he was going to take them.

            She didn’t have to wait long as he moved so he could stretch out above her, shifting to his knees and bracing his hands on either side of her. Turning into his touch when he stroked her cheek, she smiled for him again. “Hi,” she said softly.

            “Hi,” he murmured, rubbing his thumb against her lower lip.

            Opening her mouth just enough to catch the tip of his finger, she gently held him while her tongue flicked over him. She saw his eyes darken in the low light and he licked his lips slowly. Letting him go when he pulled on his hand, she wasn’t surprised when his lips covered hers. She hadn’t closed them and he quickly slipped into her mouth to deepen the kiss. Winding her arms and legs around him, she gave him a firm tug.

            He pressed down into her, moving his weight from his hands and knees onto her. Her grip on him tightened, keeping him pressed the length of her. She gasped when he thrust against her with a slow roll of his hips. Using her legs, she lifted herself to meet him and got him to moan in pleasure when he did it again.

            Elora lifted her head when he broke the kiss, trying to get him to stay. But he kissed the corner of her mouth and across her jaw. She sank back down, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of him moving over her. He was kissing his way down her neck now, teeth and stubble scraping gently against her skin.

            She sighed when he nuzzled her breasts through her shirt. “Take it off, Cull,” she breathed.

            A low rumble of agreement left him and she let her arms slip from around him as he braced himself on his knees.

            Reaching above her head, she waited as he worked the t-shirt up her chest and over her head. He let her wriggle to try to get it off her wrists, moving back to bury his face between her breasts. She felt him tense as she gasped before he was chuckling lowly. “Cullen, don’t you-No!” she squealed when his hands found her sides.

            He laughed richly as she swore at him between giggles, twisting to try to get away from him as he tickled her. But he had her caught, her legs on either side of him, hands still tangled in her shirt. The bastard had thoroughly tricked her.

            Flailing as much as she could, Elora gasped for air as he didn’t stop tickling her. She managed to get her hands free but it did her no good as she couldn’t budge him. What wails she could manage got higher in pitch as did her giggles. Spots started forming in front of her eyes as she couldn’t breathe and she pushed weakly at him, gasping all the more.

            He laughed again and his fingers finally ceased tickling her. He watched her as she lay in a heap beneath him, gasping for air. Smug bastard was smiling at her.

            “Ass,” she muttered.

            He just smiled a bit more, clearly proud of himself.

            She huffed and twisted away from him. Or at least she tried. It was difficult with her legs wrapped around him and even harder to get them to unwind from him.

            “Where are you going?” he asked, his voice still full of laughter.

            “Away from you,” she sniffed, squirming out from under him and planting her foot against his thigh to shove herself further from him.

            “Where are you going to go?” he chuckled. “Unless you plan on sleeping outside?”

            “Why should I do that? You can go outside,” she told him, rolling away from him.

            “Then how would you stay warm?”

            Wiggling her fingers at him over her shoulder, she slowly said, “Magic.”

            Cullen snorted and she heard him move before she felt him pressing against her back. “But that takes effort,” he breathed, making her body tighten as his hot breath washed over her ear. “I have a much simpler way.”

            “Maybe you should have thought of that before you tickled me,” she muttered, stubbornly holding onto her pique.

            “I did,” he murmured, “but it was too good to pass up.”

            Elora huffed and tried to roll away from him again. But he came with her, moving over her as she lay on her stomach. Her breath caught against her will as he pressed his erection against her ass. The thin cotton of her panties did nothing to hide how aroused he was and she had to bite her lip to keep from moaning in response. Her hands fisted in the blanket he had laid out for them to sleep on as he pushed harder against her. “Cullen,” she mewled, unable to stay quiet.

            “I lied,” he said softly. “This takes effort too so maybe-”

            “Don’t you dare,” Elora growled, trying to find purchase to push back against him. It was almost impossible with how he had her pinned, all she could manage to do was a slight wriggle. But it was enough to make him moan.

            “You sure?”

            “Cullen!”

            He buried his face in her hair for a moment and she heard him breathing slowly while his hips ground down into her. He stayed there, keeping her between him and the floor of the rover, before he finally pushed himself up.

            She didn’t wait for him, bracing herself on her knees and one hand while the other hooked into her panties. She heard him groan as she worked them down her thighs, heard his own clothing rustling as he stripped it off of himself. She nearly collapsed back onto the blanket when nothing but warm skin pressed back to her. Her arm wobbled, her underwear left around her knees as she abandoned it at the feel of his cock.

            His knees were braced on either side of hers, his fingers spread wide beside hers as he thrust against her ass. His face was back in her hair, his lips moving over her neck and shoulders. “Ells,” he breathed.

            The hand between her legs moved to stroke herself as she shifted her knees as far apart as his would allow, spreading the moisture clinging to her and rubbing slowly at her clit to bring more. Dipping her fingers lower, she slid them inside herself, pumping them quickly in preparation of what he was about to do. When she felt slick enough, she reached back to wrap her fingers around him.

            Cullen groaned harshly as she stroked him, the wetness on her fingers coating his cock. It became guttural when she moved him so he was between her thighs and pressed her palm against him. He quickly caught on, thrusting through her folds to cover more of him in her arousal.

            She bit her lip again as he rubbed against her clit, the swollen head of him moving over the nub. She shook with each thrust, clenching around nothing as she waited for him to slip inside her. When his teeth scraped against her, biting down on the nape of her neck, she angled her hand so his next thrust had him pushing into her.

            His hips slowed as he eased inside, her body already tightening around him. “Maker’s breath,” he groaned, rolling his hips to get a little deeper. “Elora!”

            She wailed softly. She wasn’t doing it on purpose! The hand still resting against his cock moved to stroke her clit but that didn’t work as she only tightened further on him and made them both gasp.

            He muttered something else under his breath before his weight shifted. His hand brushed against her breasts, stroking the swells before dipping down to the front clasp of her bra. He got it free after a moment and his big palm cupped her breast as soon as the cloth fell away.

            Pushing into the touch, she sighed as he kneaded at her, fingers moving over her nipple. She focused on the feel of his calloused palm against the soft flesh of her breast, trying to ignore the way his hips were still inching forward. He was kissing her neck again, nudging her hair out of the way to nuzzle and lave at her skin. His low moan was echoed by another sigh from her when he couldn’t get any deeper, his thighs pressing tightly to hers.

            Her fingers didn’t move from her clit, slowly stroking around and over, trying to match what his fingers were doing with her nipple. Her head fell forward with a soft cry as he started pulling out of her, a slow burn that set her completely on fire. Her hand smacked against the blanket when he thrust back into her, driving deep and moving her forward.

            She whimpered as he didn’t stop, didn’t slow as he moved against her. All of him was pressing to her, his chest tight to her back and she could feel the sweat rolling off of him onto her. The hand on her breast squeezed her, pinching her nipple between thumb and forefinger for almost too long. Before she could voice a protest, he dropped it, stroking down her belly and to her sex.

            “Cullen!” she cried as he pressed on her clit.

            A deep rumble left him and he fucked her harder, his hips pounding against the back of her thighs. He kept rocking her forward, making her arms shake, until she gave up. It was his turn to cry out when her arms folded on the blanket, her forehead resting on one of them as she panted for air. Her hips pushed back as her torso angled down, meeting his thrusts as much as she could.

            He shifted behind her and his hands settled on her hips, fingers digging into her as he pulled her back to meet him. She cried out with each thrust, every one of them pushing her that much closer.

            Twisting as much as she could, she blew her hair out of her face so she could see him but he wasn’t looking at her. His skin was slick with sweat as he fucked her, his gaze rapt on the spot where they were joined. Elora buried her face in her elbow after a moment and shifted her weight onto that arm so the other could reach down to her clit.

            Cullen bucked hard against her as she clenched around him, curses and her name spilling from him as he kept thrust erratically into her. She knew he was coming and she kept rubbing at her clit until she joined him.

            Moaning his name, her fingers shook as she tried to keep touching herself but she was forced to stop when he slumped forward. He pinned her to the floor against, nothing keeping his weight off of her as he panted against her shoulder. Her arm was trapped under her, fingers still brushing her clit as they twitched slightly. She could feel him gently rolling his hips, moving him inside her shallowly. “Cull,” she mumbled. “’eavy.”

            He groaned, his thighs tightening on either side of hers as he pushed himself onto his side. His arm wrapped around her to bring her with him, keeping her pressed against the length of him. He muttered something when he slipped out of her but he was still caught tight between her thighs and she sighed as he didn’t make any effort to move from there.

            Elora shook her head slightly, trying to get the hair out of her face. She hummed a thank you when he reached up to gently brush it aside and she felt his fingers trembling against her cheek. She smiled as he slid his arm under her head, letting her use it as a pillow. “It worked,” she sighed.

            “Mm?” he grunted, pressing kisses to her shoulder.

            “I’m nice and warm,” she purred, making him chuckle softly.


	11. Fingering

            Flopping on the bed, Elora groaned raggedly. She was tired. Maker, she didn’t think she’d ever been this tired. Even when Commander Helaine had been putting her through the paces of her Knight-Enchanter training she hadn’t felt this exhausted. The vigorous training she’d done with the Templars who would later form the group she had been a part of as soon as she’d graduated from the Academy hadn’t even been this bad.

            She heard the door open and close, the steps coming into the room pausing presumably as soon as he saw her. “Elora?”

            “I hate you,” she said weakly, burying her face into the blankets. It didn’t help matters since they smelt like him. He had fallen asleep at the desk last night and she hadn’t been able to rouse him so she had simply covered him with the quilt on her bed. He’d returned it to the bed when he had joined her at some ridiculous hour of the morning but it still smelt like him.

            “I’m pretty sure you don’t,” he told her with a quiet chuckle. “Are you alright?”

            “No,” she muttered.

            “Did you want to shower with me and I’ll give you a massage after?” Cullen offered.

            “I don’t want to move.” She turned her face slightly so she could see him over the folds in the blanket. “But the massage sounds nice.”

            He chuckled again, crossing the room to the bed. His hand pressed to her lower back, gently rubbing as he bent over to kiss the top of her head. “I’m going to have the shower and then I’ll be at your service,” he murmured.

            She gave a humming sigh and cuddled a little more into the bed.

            Cullen kissed her again and gave her back another rub. “I’ll be right back,” he promised.

            “I’ll be right here. Exactly here.”

            She could almost see him shaking his head without even looking but he didn’t say anything and she heard the bathroom door click shut.

            It wasn’t long before she heard the shower turn on but it was just a background noise and it lulled her further into wanting to fall asleep. But she wanted to stay awake so she could talk with Cullen while he rubbed her back. Although, she could take a short nap while she waited for him to get out. Surely he’d wake her up when he came back. Or she would wake up when he started touching her.

            Relaxing further into the mattress, she felt her legs sink a little further to the floor but she didn’t bother moving them. She was actually comfortable so she left it alone. She might seize up like this but she was beyond caring at this point. If she was getting a massage, did it really matter?

            Elora jerked awake when she felt her legs lift and hissed as it made pain flare through her.

            “Easy,” Cullen murmured, lifting her slightly so she was stretched out along the bed. “It’s just me.”

            She mumbled something but she didn’t even know what she tried to say. She didn’t resist him as he pulled her shoes off, letting them drop to the floor. Her toes wiggled as he removed her socks before they curled as he ran a finger down the bottom of her foot. “I’m gonna kick you,” she warned sleepily.

            “Noted,” he said quietly.

            His hands moved up her legs until they could grasp the waistband of her workout pants. Elora squirmed slightly as he pulled them down her legs, trying to help him and probably failing. As soon as he had them off, his hands came back to her and slowly started rubbing, starting with her feet. She sighed happily at his firm touch and cuddled into the blankets.

            “You know I only push you that hard because I worry,” he said when he started on her calf.

            “I know,” she mumbled. Didn’t make it any easier to walk back to their rooms when he’d put her through the paces. He’d decided she needed more close combat skills in case something went wrong with her magic and he was training her himself. Which meant he really wasn’t holding back.

            “You’re doing really well though,” he continued, his thumbs working into her. “You’re learning quickly.”

            Because she didn’t like being thrown to the matts and having her breath knocked out of her. It made her mad because it happened often so she was actually making an effort. She knew she probably wouldn’t be able to take him down, but she could at least keep herself from being laid out flat every time. A slightly pained gasp left her when he started on her thigh and his hands gentled.

            “Sorry,” Cullen said. “You were favouring this leg earlier too.”

            “Over extended,” she muttered.

            He made a low noise and carefully worked the area.

            She shivered slightly as she felt his fingers brush against the top of her thighs, right under the curve of her ass. Pushing down on the flare of desire that caused, she told herself she was tired and sore and that it was dumb to think that she was even up for sex right now. If he noticed, he didn’t say anything about it and kept rubbing, switching to her other leg.

            Once he was done with her foot again, the bed shifted as he moved up it and started lifting her shirt. “No, stay there, its okay,” he said when she tried to help him.

            Elora stopped and sighed as he carefully pulled the shirt off of her. She laughed when he made a disgruntled noise when he got to her bra because they both knew he wouldn’t be able to get it off of her without her help. Slowly rolling over, she started to smile at him before it wavered as she saw that he was only wearing a pair of pajama pants and his skin was still damp from his shower.

            “Ells?” he murmured.

            She gave herself a mental shake again and grimaced as she reached down to pull the bra off. It involved more swearing than she liked as everything hurt and she’d been in a sports bra. But she managed to get it off and tossed it aside. Flopping back onto her stomach when she saw his eyes dart down to her breasts, she grabbed a pillow and slid her arms under it to prop her head up. “None of that,” she muttered.

            “I didn’t say anything,” he protested.

            “I could hear you thinking.”

            Cullen laughed softly and she felt him move, settling on her thighs as he straddled her. “Whatever you say, Ells,” he murmured, sweeping her hair over her shoulder.

            Before she could say anything, a moan left her as he started rubbing her lower back. She relaxed into the bedding, sighing happily. Each stroke of his hands had her melting further, pushing her back toward sleep. By the time he was done rubbing and was simply sweeping his hands up and down her back, she was practically asleep.

            His weight lifted off of her legs and he pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “Ells.”

            She mumbled, burrowing further into her pillow.

            “Roll over,” he murmured.

            “No,” she whined. She was too comfortable to move, didn’t want to even crawl under the covers.

            “Come on, Ells,” he said, grasping her shoulder to gently urge her over.

            Elora moaned, letting him roll her over and settle her against the blankets. Blinking sleepily at him, she lifted her brows at him. “Hi,” she said quietly.

            He smiled and leaned down to kiss her. “Hi,” he breathed.

            A soft sigh left her as he shifted so that he could stretch out beside her. He propped himself up with one hand while he trailed the back of the other along her chest. It was as soothing as the massage had been, even if it did tickle a bit. But as his hand came slowly back up from her navel, she closed her eyes on another sigh.

            His fingers lingered at the base of her throat before he let them slide back down. This time he didn’t stop at her navel, moving down to brush over the fabric of her panties.

            “Cullen,” she mumbled, shifting her hips as he didn’t move his hand away.

            He didn’t answer, slowly rubbing against her.

            Pushing up into the touch, Elora moaned as he slid his hand down so he was cupping her fully. Her thighs closed on his hand but it didn’t stop him, his middle finger still shifting against her. Her eyes opened to find him watching her, a faint smile curling his mouth. “What are you-” She moaned again as his fingers hooked into her underwear, pulling it aside so there was nothing between their skin.

            She tipped her head back into the pillow as he teased one finger inside her, barely slipping it into her before he was pulling away. She lifted her hips to try to get him back, whimpering softly.

            He shushed her gently, his hand moving to hook into her panties. He pulled them down to her knees and trailed his fingers back up the inside of her thigh.

            Squirming as she waited for him to touch her, she bit down on her lip as she stared up at him. His gaze was hooded as he watched her, golden eyes hazy. She saw them spark as she inhaled sharply when he slipped a finger between her slick folds and rubbed at her clit. It came out as a long moan and she twisted on the blankets as he didn’t stop. “Cullen,” she whimpered.

            He leaned over her, his mouth hovering over hers. He brushed his lips against hers and gently kissed her, slowly teasing her with both tongue and fingers. She wanted to reach up to pull him down but her body felt heavy from his earlier massage and she just didn’t want to move. But she did protest when he pulled away from her, giving him big eyes to try to make him kiss her again.

            Rubbing his nose against hers, he gave her a quick kiss before he moved.

            Her cry rang through the room when he tugged her nipple into his mouth, suckling while his hand shifted to slide his finger inside her. Clamping her thighs around his hand again, she mewled softly as he curled his finger to rub against her front wall when he couldn’t move his hand. Her hands dug into the blankets as his mouth and finger worked in tandem, driving her pleasure up. Her hips rocked against him and she slowly parted her thighs, wanting more.

            Cullen hummed against her breast, flicking his tongue over her. He shifted his hand and made her moan as he slipped a second finger inside her. Her heels dug into the bed as she tried to push against him as he slowly started thrusting them.

            Her breath caught as his thumb found her clit, adding more pleasure to what he had already created. Moaning his name, she turned toward him, burying her face against his arm. She could smell the scent of his soap on his skin and it did not help her at all. She panted against him as he kept moving his hand, his lips only brushing against her nipple now. His hot breaths were still on her, making her want to arch up so he’d take her back into his mouth. But he kept her distracted by pumping his fingers into her.

            She twisted away from him, turning her face as she trembled. Her lips were pressed together but whimpers were still leaving her, broken and needy. She was close, rocking against his hand as much as she could.

            “Ells, look at me,” Cullen murmured.

            Moaning, she glanced at him. She saw his eyes dart over her, saw them darken, saw his tongue move over his lower lip. “Cullen,” she mumbled, her voice shaking.

            A low noise left him, making her tremble. She cried out as his fingers curled, pressing hard on her and not letting up. She arched up off the bed, jerking on the blankets as she came. Her voice broke on a wail, her eyes screwing shut as she shook on the bed. His hand didn’t move from between her thighs, drawing out her climax for as long as he could.

            She was completely limp on the bed, quivering and panting for air when he finally stilled. She still clutched at him, squeezing his fingers as he slowly pulled them out of her. “Cull,” she whispered.

            He smiled at her, leaning over to kiss her again. “Feel better?” he asked.

            A sigh left Elora, no words coming to mind for how she felt. But he seemed to understand. Her cheeks still flushed when he slid his fingers into his mouth and she could hear him sucking them clean. Maker’s tits.

            She blinked at him when he rolled off the bed, wondering what he was doing. A tiny squeak left her as he gently pulled the blankets out from under her before he was covering her with it. As soon as he joined her, she shifted as much as she could to cuddle under his chin. He helped her, rolling her onto her side so she could press against him.

            “Go to sleep, Elora,” he murmured and she felt him kiss the top of her head.

            Sighing again, she relaxed into the bed and his arms. Well, he had definitely succeeded in making her forget her aches but now she felt completely boneless. Maybe the training sessions wouldn’t be so bad if this was how her day was going to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies at the short hiatus. Was having difficulty with one of the prompts and I landed in a rut. Toned it down for this one just to work myself back into writing smut and hopefully I'll get back to updating quickly!


	12. Cunnilingus

             Staring out at Val Royeaux, Elora sighed and leaned against the balcony railing. She could see the whole of the city from their hotel, the setting sun painting the buildings in reds and golds. It was a relaxing end to the day. Not that the day had been stressful at all. They had spent it wandering the bazaar, doing nothing more than enjoying each other’s company and sampling the wares of the booths. She was positive she had eaten more cheese today than she had in her entire life, but she was more than okay with that. It was slightly better for her than the sweets she usually wanted after all.

            A small giggle left her as she remembered the look on Cullen’s face when she had tried the blue cheese and wanted to kiss him when he had refused to eat it. His nose had wrinkled even as he had given her a quick peck on the lips. The vendor had been more than amused as Elora hadn’t settled for it, chasing after him to try to get him to kiss her properly. She’d gotten free cheese because of it so the fact that he hadn’t kissed her again hadn’t been so bad.

            She glanced over her shoulder when she heard him moving around in the room. He was still in the button down shirt he had been wearing earlier, the sleeves rolled up past his elbows, and dark wash jeans that fit him a little too well. He’d given her his jacket when the sun had disappeared behind a cloud when they’d left the restaurant earlier but she’d taken it off when they’d gotten back to the room.

            Running her teeth over her lower lip, she watched him pace through the room, his gaze on the tablet in his hand. They had been told that they were supposed to ignore their phones this weekend, to take the days for themselves and not respond to whatever messages came through. Cullen had been good all weekend, his attention on her more than anything else. Even when they’d gone to the opera last night, she was sure he’d watched her more than what had been happening on the stage. Every time she’d glanced at him, he’d been looking at her with a faint smile on his face. She hadn’t been overly surprised, he hadn’t seemed too interested in the opera in the first place. But he’d been more than interested in her as she’d slipped into the evening gown she’d gotten for the event, nearly making them late as he had kept stopping her when she had been trying to get ready for the night.

            But now that they had a quiet moment, he was checking messages.

            “You’re breaking the rules,” she tossed lightly at him.

            He paused to glance at her. “You don’t know what I’m doing with this,” he pointed out.

            “Is it Rylen or Cassandra?” she asked, not backing down.

            “I’m not checking messages or reports.”

            “Mmhmm.”

            He gave her a look and crossed the room to come onto the balcony with her. “Look,” he said, holding it out to her.

            She took it while eyeing him before she glanced at the screen. Blinking as she read what was on it, she murmured, “These are menus?”

            “We’re leaving tomorrow,” he said as he went back into the room, “but I thought we could have breakfast on the water so I was looking at menus and reviews for cafés to see if I could find one.”

            Biting her lip, she turned off the screen and blinked quickly as she stared out at the city. She shouldn’t ever forget how thoughtful he actually was. They didn’t have a lot of time for themselves with everything but he still managed to make the few moments they did have all the more precious with little things like this. Setting the tablet down on the table on the balcony, she murmured, “Sorry.”

            “It’s alright. I do…work a lot.”

            A small laugh left her. “I hadn’t noticed.”

            He snorted softly and she listened as he moved around the room some more. She assumed he was gathering up the little things that had scattered in their days in the room. He had chided her gently for leaving things everywhere and she had teased him when he had tossed pieces of her clothing. But this was their last night so she supposed it was time to find everything they had brought with them.

            She started to scoop up the tablet when she heard him step onto the balcony behind her. Her eyes closed on a sigh when he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back to rest against him. “Thank you for agreeing to this,” she murmured.

            He kissed her neck gently. “We don’t get to do much together,” he admitted. “For how often we’re actually together, it’s not usually just us.”

            They did spend more time as Inquisitor and Commander than anything else. That was why she had jumped on this idea as soon as it had come up and she had thought that she would have to plead and wheedle with Cullen to get him to come as well. But someone must have beaten her to it because he’d already been setting things up to run smoothly while he was gone. He’d shooed her away to go pack when she had hugged him excitedly and everything they had done since leaving Skyhold had been amazing. He was amazing and she wasn’t too sure how she had ever managed to convince him to date her.

            A shiver ran through her when he kissed her again, lips lingering and warm breath skating over her skin. “Cullen?” she mumbled.

            He didn’t answer her, his mouth moving up to her ear.

            The shivers became trembles as he kissed the spot just under her ear before his tongue flicked up and trailed along the edge of it. She started to move away from him, enough so she could turn to face him, but his arms tightened around her, hauling her back to him.

            “Stay there,” he said lowly, his mouth still next to her ear.

            Maker, what was he going to do? She could feel his hands shifting against her, rubbing her through the light sun dress she had on. Slow circles of his fingertips that had the hem of her dress swaying against her thighs. Soft kisses along her neck that had her fingers tightening around the railing of the balcony. “Cullen,” she sighed, his name trailing into a moan as he nipped at the crook of her neck.

            His arms unwound from around her and he pressed his palms to her hips before sliding them down her legs. When he reached skin, he stroked her lightly, his touch feathering right along with the hem of her skirt. His mouth was still on her neck, leaving wet kisses now as his tongue passed over her. A soft hiss left him when she took a half step back, grinding her ass back against his groin. “Elora,” he said firmly.

            She mewled gently. She hadn’t moved away from him, she’d moved closer. He hadn’t said anything about that. The noise turned into a huff when he pulled his hips back from her. She loved the feel of him pressed against all of her, loved feeling him thrust against her when they were both still dressed. But apparently that wasn’t in the cards for her tonight.

            Her breath caught when his hands slipped under her skirt, lifting it as his hands moved up her legs. “Cullen,” she said quickly. “People could see!”

            “We’re fifteen floors up, Ells,” he breathed. “They won’t know what’s going on.”

            She bit her lip again, not overly sure about that. The hotel was the tallest building in the general area but there were other balconies near theirs that someone could go on to or the tops of nearby buildings or with amazing vision or something! Cullen was usually overly conscious about their public image, never one to shy away from showing that he loved her but making sure that nothing came back to reflect negatively on her or the Inquisition. If they got caught with his hands under her skirt? She wasn’t sure Josie would be able to calm that storm if it got out.

            His fingers hooked into the sides of her panties, pulling them over her hips and down her thighs. When he let go of them, she shimmied her legs slightly to get it all the way down and ignored his chuckle.

            “You sure about this?” she whispered.

            “Sure about what?” he murmured. “I haven’t done anything beyond kiss and hug you, have I? What’s there to see or gossip about? If anyone can see us that is.”

            She pushed out a breath, trying to steady herself. He wasn’t going to stop at hugging or kissing. She knew him, knew his sexual appetite was as large as her own, he just was much better at hiding and controlling it.

            “Do you want me to stop?”

            She knew her lover, knew that once he set his mind to something there wasn’t much that could stop him. Except her telling him to. If she told him she didn’t want this, didn’t want it on the balcony, he would take them inside. But she was curious about what he wanted to do. “Not yet,” she whispered.

            He chuckled deeply. “Tell me if you do,” Cullen said softly, stubble scraping against her as he buried his face in her neck.

            Leaning against his shoulder, a moaning sigh left her as his fingers teased the inside of her thighs. She felt him kiss her when she spread her legs a bit, giving him more room. His thumbs slid higher, brushing against her sex as he rubbed her thighs. She squirmed against him, silently urging him on, wanting to feel his fingers on her, wanting to feel him slip through slick folds and sink inside her. “Please,” she whispered, rocking on her toes.

            “Please what?” he murmured.

            “Cullen, fucking touch me,” she pleaded.

            “I am touching you,” he said softly, gently tugging on her earlobe. "Aren't I?"

            What did he want her to say? That she wanted him to finger fuck her while he ground against her ass? That she wanted him to part her pussy lips and stroke her clit until she came? That she wanted him to bend her over and take her right here, right now? “Ass,” she growled as his hands slid down her thighs a little.

            He chuckled. “Always so impatient,” he mused, his kisses moving over her shoulders now. “You know I’m not going to leave you like this so have a little patience.”

            “I don’t want patience,” she muttered. “I want your fingers inside me.”

            “Only my fingers?”

            “Do you want me to beg for your cock?” she demanded, sucking in a breath when his hands came back up.

            “No,” he said honestly, thumbs rubbing against slick folds in far too light of a touch. “I want you to be patient.”

            Squeezing her eyes shut and resisting the urge to shift her hips down to get more of his touch, she took a deep breath. Her hands were fisted around the railing, her fingers aching slightly from how tightly she was holding it. But she didn’t move, didn’t complain, didn’t do anything except wait for him to do something.

            “I love you,” he chuckled, his breath hot against her.

            She made a face and had to clamp her lips together to keep from protesting when his hands left her. Patience he said. Well he wasn’t the one that was having their sex teased by a bastard who knew exactly how to wind her up.

            “Bend over a bit, Ells.”

            Shifting on her feet, she made a put out noise as she realised her panties were still around her ankles. “A little help?”

            He knelt behind her and she looked down to see him grip the fabric and let her step out of it. She paused in bending over when she felt his hands run up the backs of her legs, his touch featherlight again. But she finished moving as his hands lifted her skirt up, baring her from the waist down. She smiled faintly when he let out a slow breath, swearing softly. It dropped from her lips when his hands moved, his thumbs spreading her sex.

            A desperate cry left her when his mouth covered her, sucking as soon as he touched her. Her hand clapped over her mouth to stem any other noises that might leave her, catching a moan as he didn’t stop sucking. His tongue was passing over her with every suck, licking everything he could reach. He pulled away with a wet noise for a second before he was back on her, his mouth open wider so he could touch more of her.

            Elora’s knees shook as his lips moved against her with his sucking. He wasn’t being quiet about it, hums and growls leaving him while the wet sounds of his mouth against her didn’t stop. Which meant the vibrations of them were moving over her sex and making her all the wetter for him.

            He pushed his tongue out, pressing it flat to her clit and making her cry out again as he lapped at her. It seemed to egg him on. He moved closer to her, fingers kneading against her ass as he kept sucking on her. He was leaving nothing untouched, tongue and lips moving over all of her.

            Bending over so she could rest her forehead on her arm, she heard him make a pleased noise at the action. Her moan was muffled and high as he pushed his tongue inside her, fucking her with it for a moment. It wasn’t nearly long enough as he went back to sucking, his tongue flicking out to tease around her entrance. She tightened around nothing, wanting him back inside her in some form, wanting to feel him fill her in some way. She moaned his name, biting down on her palm as he didn’t stop.

            His sucking pulled her into his mouth, letting him run his tongue over her before he pulled back with a wet pop. She heard him groan her name before his mouth was on her again, open and wet and making her want to scream. Her legs were shaking as he found her clit again, suckling and licking it without stop.

            Her hand wasn’t doing anything to muffle the noises leaving her, all of them getting higher in pitch and more frequent. Her muscles were tensing, trembling as he didn’t move away from her. She did scream when he hummed against her, the sound sparking her climax. Pleasure spiralled through her as he kept his mouth on her, drawing her release out for as long as he could. Trembles ran through the length of her and she whined in the back of her throat as he flicked his tongue over her.

            Elora gave up trying to remain upright, her knees buckling. Her skin scraped against the balcony as she collapsed, panting for air and clinging to the railing. Dropping her hand from her mouth, she pressed it against the floor to help keep her up but it was shaking as much as the rest of her. There wasn’t anything in her that could resist him when Cullen wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back so she was in his lap.

            She sagged against him, head lolling back to rest on his shoulder while she blinked lazily. “Well then,” she mumbled.

            A soft chuckle left him and he shifted them back so they were in the room.

            She didn’t move as he moved her so she was sitting across his lap and could see his face. Her breath caught slightly as she saw his lips were wet, slick with her arousal.

            “Ells?”

            Reaching up with heavy arms, she pulled him down and herself up at the same time. A purr left her as he kissed her and she could taste herself on his tongue. She kissed him harder, wanting more of him. His grunt echoed in her ears as she tugged on him before she was thumping onto the floor as he moved so he was above her. Winding her fingers into his hair, she smiled against him. If he thought they were done, he was sadly mistaken. The night was still young and it would be a waste to spend their last night of their private weekend doing nothing more than sleeping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't really want to write the original prompt for this day (rimming) because it's not really my thing so went with this instead. Not that I think anyone is really going to complain about the switch though. And I seem to be plotting more than smutting so I shall have to see what I can do about changing that


	13. Dom/Sub

             Staring at the map laid out in front of him, Cullen didn’t really see it. Nor did he really hear the conversation going on around him. His thoughts were scattered and he was having a hard time focusing. It was his own fault but he was unlikely to actually admit that to anyone. Especially the small woman beside him. She was already proud of herself and that would just be taking it too far.

            He had just had to open his mouth, to bring it up when he should have left well enough alone. One day he would learn where Elora’s boundaries were, one day he would catch her off guard with something. Although to be completely honest, she had been startled when he’d brought it up.

_“Is that…Is that something you would want to try?” she asked slowly, staring at him from across the room._

_He nodded before flushing. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “It definitely isn’t our normal thing-”_

_“When did our sex life become normal?”_

_“-but I thought, maybe, we could try?” he finished, giving her a look for her interruption._

_Elora tipped her head to the side, shirt hanging from her fingertips. She wasn’t helping him think, standing there in her pants and bra. She wasn’t running any missions today, wasn’t planning on training at all so there was a lot of lace against pale skin and far more padding on the bra than was needed. He wasn’t going to complain though, not when he got to see her in it. “Really? What did you actually hear? I mean, Bull tones his stories down when he’s telling them.”_

_“I know and even what he did say is more than I would want to do.”_

_She made a quiet noise. “You and me both,” she muttered, slipping her arms into the shirt and pulling it over her head._

_He was disappointed that he couldn’t see her breasts anymore but his lips quirked. “That’s mine,” he said mildly, the t-shirt easily dwarfing her._

_“Well aware of that.”_

_He shook his head before sighing. “We don’t have to, Ells.”_

_“I didn’t say no, Cullen. I just don’t understand why you would want to do that.”_

_He wasn’t completely sure either. But something about it was picking at him and he wanted to figure out what it was._

_“Have you thought about how you wanted to do it?” she asked, starting to pull her hair back._

_“I wanted you to be in control,” he said automatically._

_Her hands dropped as she stared at him, her jaw dropping. “You want me….what?”_

_Cullen rubbed the back of his neck. “Think about it, Ells,” he said and wanted to grimace. He wasn’t sure the nickname was really appropriate given what they were talking about but he was too used to saying it. “I’m always taking control or already have it whenever we have sex.”_

_Elora stared at him, a slight smile on her face. “Have you ever heard me complain?” she asked mildly._

_“Of course not. I just thought….” Maker, what had he thought?_

_She was watching him quietly. “I’ll be honest,” she murmured, “I don’t think I’m capable of half of whatever Bull has ever mentioned.”_

_“And I don’t want you to be. If I wanted that I’d-” He stopped before he finished that thought but he could see her eyes dancing from here so he knew she had caught on._

_“You and Bull, huh?” she teased._

_“Elora,” Cullen growled._

_Her laughter bounced around the room. “Okay, okay. Do you really want to try that though? Are you going to be alright with following orders?”_

_“I’ve been doing that for nearly all my life,” he said mildly, watching her as she walked to him._

_“This is different though,” she murmured, winding her arms around his waist. “It’s not a superior ordering you about. It’s your lover.”_

_“I understand that.”_

_“Do you?” she purred._

_Cullen blinked down at her. Had she started? Was she agreeing? “Elora, I didn’t mean-”_

_“Not what I asked, Cullen.”_

_He frowned slightly. Did he understand what the difference was? Of course he did. “Yes.”_

_“This isn’t Commander and Inquisitor either,” she said quietly._

_“I know.”_

_She watched him for a long moment. “Are you sure?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“Even though I will never go as far as Bull would, you still need to pick a word,” Elora murmured. “Pick something you wouldn’t ever say so that I know when you want to stop.”_

_“You’re really going to…?”_

_“A word, Cullen.”_

_He stared at her, wondering what he could possibly give her that wouldn’t be something he’d usually say. He couldn’t even think of anything except…. “Phylactery?”_

_Elora pulled back slightly, saying, “Phylactery?”_

_“Is that not good enough?”_

_“No, no, it’s perfect,” she said quickly._

_Swallowing hard, Cullen stared down at her, wondering what was going through her head._

_Her mouth curled into a wicked smile and she breathed, “Stay still.”_

_He choked slightly as she fell to her knees in front of him, her fingers tugging on the pants he had pulled on before the conversation had started. “Elora, you-”_

            “Commander?”

            Jerking slightly, he looked at Leliana and wanted to swear when he saw that all three of them were looking at him expectantly. “I’m sorry,” he said, looking quickly at the map and the reports spread out in front of him. “I was thinking about something else.”

            Josephine hummed and Leliana started repeating whatever she had said, but he saw the faint smile curl Elora’s mouth. It was there and gone as she looked from him to the map but he had seen it.

            Answering Leliana’s query, he told himself he was okay, he was completely alright. Well, not completely. The bloody minx had toyed with him, coaxing him up to the point of orgasm and then stopping with that wicked smile on her face as she had done his pants back up.

            _“Can’t be late for yet another meeting,” she murmured._

_“Ells,” he choked. She expected him to focus when his erection was practically throbbing?_

_She pulled herself to her feet and gave him a faint kiss. “Don’t,” she said firmly when he reached for himself. “Fix it if it’s uncomfortable, but do not do more.”_

He hadn’t but he was paying for it. His focus was completely gone, his thoughts on what she had done and what she might do tangling up his mind. Maker help him, this was not what he had thought would happen when he suggested this to her. She’d done something…a faint magic that rippled over his skin, reminding him of what her mouth had felt like on him every time he thought he had finally recovered from it. It didn’t work him up quite as much as she had but it was more than enough to keep him unraveled.

            He watched as Josephine and Leliana gathered up their reports and things before they started for the exit. “Are you two coming?” Leliana asked over her shoulder.

            Elora waved her on. “We’ll see you at lunch,” she promised.

            There were nods before they were gone and it was only the two of them.

            Cullen glanced at Elora when she started humming quietly and saw she was toying with the coin around her neck. “Ells-”

            “Shh,” she murmured, swaying slightly and leaning away from him when he started to reach out to her.

            His brows drew together as he watched her. Whatever that magic was, it was back and he could feel a trail of sweat trickling down his spine as it didn’t let up this time. It was definitely an echo of what she had done earlier and not a spell he knew. But he didn’t care about the magic. He wanted her mouth back on him.

            She turned to him, leaning her hip against the table. “You didn’t hear a single thing any of us said, did you?” she said faintly.

            He hated admitting it but he shook his head.

            “That distracting?”

            “I walked into a meeting with an erection and the very recent memory of my girlfriend’s mouth on my cock,” he said lowly, his voice tight. “What do you think?”

            “Say the word and it stops.”

            He hadn’t said anything about wanting it to stop.

            Her head tipped to the side. “Get on the table.”

            “What?”

            “If you’re not going to say the word, get on the table.”

            He glanced at it, wanting to protest. Pieces had moved on the map and he wasn’t sure he knew where they were supposed to go.

            “Cullen, I’m not going to ask again.”

            Flicking a look at her, he was about to say something but it only came out as a hiss as the magic changed, somehow getting firmer. But she was watching him, waiting for him to either say the word…or get on the table.

            He reminded himself that he had started this, that he had asked her to do this and if he said the word now…. Turning on the spot, he hefted himself up so he was sitting on the edge of it, trying not to think about the sounds of the pieces being knocked over. He looked back at her to see she was smiling. Tracking her as she closed the short distance between them, he tried not to react when she stepped between his spread thighs, her hands trailing up his legs. His cock jerked as much as it could in his pants as her thumbs pressed into his thighs and started rubbing small circles as she nearly got to the top.

            She was watching him, that faint smile curling her mouth again. It grew when a desperate moan left him as her hands finally rubbed against him through his pants. “Do you like it?” she murmured.

            “What?” he asked tensely, wanting more than the light brush of her fingers through cloth. He shifted on the table, his hands gripping the underside of it tightly. She had teased him before, multiple times, so why was this one suddenly so different? Was it because he knew she was in control and that he was the one that had to say the word, to admit that he couldn’t take anymore?

            “The spell,” she elaborated. “I will admit I don’t have it down pat yet, but I’m getting there. At least I think I am. You haven’t really told me what you think of the spell.”

            “What do I think?” he repeated. “I think it feels like you’ve been sucking on me since we left the room!”

            “Then it’s working,” she murmured.

            Cullen stared at her, wanting to tell her stop, wanting her to put her actual mouth on him, wanting anything more.

            “Lie down, Cullen.”

            He glanced behind him at the table, at the pieces across the map. His gaze snapped back to Elora when she moved away from him and he watched her as she walked around the table. He heard her brushing pieces aside before her hands were on his shoulders and she was gently pulling him back. He didn’t resist, slowly lowering until he was stretched out on it, staring up at her.

            She bent over him and pressed a kiss to his mouth. “Stay there,” she breathed.

            Frowning at her as she started back around the table, Cullen started to lift his head before he let it drop back down. She wasn’t going to leave him like this. She wouldn’t. A small sigh left him when he felt her pulling at his belt, hips shifting in anticipation of what was to come. Maker, was she going to take him on the table? Without locking the door? When anyone could come in to drop off reports or see what changes had been made to the map? “Elora-“ His voice choked off when cold hands wrapped around his cock, squeezing gently.

            Her laugh was low and far too pleased with herself. Her hands didn’t warm up as they moved over him for a long moment, making shivers run the length of him and his muscles tense up before the chill vanished…as did her hands.

            What was she doing?

            “I want you to listen to me, Cullen,” she murmured and he heard faint rustling, like she was taking off her clothes. “Are you listening?”

            “Yes,” he groaned, wanting her to touch him again, even if it was with frosty fingers.

            “You aren’t allowed to come until I tell you,” she breathed. “If you’re getting close, you need to tell me.”

            His brows drew together at that. He could barely talk when she put her hands or mouth on him. Words were the last thing on his mind when he was on the verge of orgasm and she expected him to tell her?

            “Can you do that, Cullen?” Elora asked, her hands tugging his pants a little further down.

            He licked dry lips and swallowed hard. Could he? She was waiting for him to answer, the tips of her fingers brushing against his thighs and making goose bumps rise on his skin as there was still a slight chill to hers. He knew she wasn’t going to move until he said yes or no. Swallowing again, he whispered, “Yes.”

            “Good,” she hummed.

            There was no time for him to even think about what she was going to do because her mouth was on him, sucking and licking at the head of his cock. His head pressed back into the table before he forced himself not to thrust past her lips. She wasn’t taking more into her mouth and if he did that she might stop outright like she already had. He moaned when the tip of her tongue dipped into the slit of his cock, licking away the precum forming there.

            She pulled away to press kisses to the tip and paused with her lips on the underside of him. Her breath was hot on him as she trailed her lips down him, brushing them lightly over hardened flesh.

            His jaw clenched when she reached the base and sucked on his balls. His legs closed on her, squeezing her hips and making her laugh softly. He didn’t let go of her as she didn’t stop sucking, not telling him to stop. He shook when he slipped out of her mouth with a wet noise and she was moving back up, more kisses and sucks spread out along his length. Her tongue flicked against the head and she laughed shortly when his cock jerked at the touch.

            Her hands pushed on his thighs and he slowly spread them again. She shifted but didn’t move away from him and he didn’t know if he was going to be able to keep his legs open when her slick palm wrapped around him, slowly pumping along him. His stomach tensed when she gripped the base of his shaft with one hand while the other twisted around the head.

            “Ells,” he groaned, wanting to feel her hands moving on him again. He wanted the long strokes, not what she was doing now.

            She ignored him, humming to herself and taking her time. And despite it not being what he wanted, it was still working, still making him want to thrust into her touch, still drawing his orgasm closer.

            It was his turn to hum in pleasure when her lips closed around him again, bobbing along him while she held him with one hand. The other was lightly scraping at the skin between cock and navel. She sucked on him as she pulled back, making him whimper as she paused at the head before slowly moving back down. It took a long minute before he realised that she was starting to go faster, taking as much of him into her mouth as she could and barely pausing when she got back to the tip. His hands flexed against the table as he breathed sharply through his nose, trying to keep some semblance of control over himself.

            But her tongue was tracing the vein on the underside of him on each pass, her mouth sucking insistently, her fingers grazing his sac now.

            “Ells,” he gasped, feeling his balls tighten, his pleasure spike.

            She pulled off of him, licking her lips while her hand curled around the base of him again. “Close?” she murmured.

            He panted for air, nodding absently. There were spots forming in front of his eyes as he gasped, his entire body humming as it hovered on the verge of climax. What was she going to do? Her hand wasn’t moving on him and he couldn’t even feel her breath against him. She had just stopped, her fingers tight around his cock as if to help keep him from coming.

            She shushed him as he whimpered when he realised that was what she was about. Was she going to keep torturing him with her mouth when he had felt those phantom touches for the entire time the meeting had been going on? He already felt like he was coming out of his skin, had been on the edge for so long, had been teased up to slowly spiral back down without any satisfaction. Was she going to continue doing that without giving him any release?

            Maker, if he’d thought her teasing was bad before, he had clearly known nothing.

            When his breathing had calmed, when he didn’t feel like he was going to burst, her hand left him. He started to raise his head to see her, but he heard her climb up on the table before she was straddling him, sitting on his stomach.

            “Look at you. You’re very flushed, Cullen.”

            “Can you blame me?” he muttered.

            “No, not really.”

            She shifted above him and he didn’t resist her when she grabbed one of his hands. His chin dipped down so he could see her when she lifted it to her mouth and he stared as she slipped two of his fingers into her mouth.

            His cock twitched, his arousal coming back in full force as she sucked on him. His lips parted on a breathless moan as it felt like each suck went straight to his erection. She slicked him up, tongue curling around and between his fingers before she pulled them out. His eyes widened slightly as she moved his hand down and he saw that she wasn’t wearing any pants, his shirt hanging low on her.

            A soft gasp left Elora as she lifted a bit and slid his hand between her thighs. He’d known she was wet, had been able to feel her through his clothes, but as his fingers touched her he hadn’t realised just how drenched she actually was. Had she been like this the entire meeting? Had she been as around as he’d been? The thought had him moving, pressing his fingers against her entrance before pushing them inside her.

            “Yes,” she moaned, head rolling back as she rocked on his hand.

            He watched her as she rode his fingers, swaying and circling her hips as he pumped inside her. His pleasure spiked with every sound that left her and he wanted to move his own hips but there wasn’t anything to satisfy him. Curling his fingers forward, he revelled in the low keen that left her and was pleased when she pushed down against him.

            Hazy eyes looked down at him through her lashes and he watched as her tongue slicked over her lower lip. “Make me come, Cullen,” she whispered.

            Swallowing hard, he kept his fingers curled and pulled his hand forward, putting pressure on her front wall. She was soaking his hand as he didn’t stop, his thumb slipping through her folds to find her clit. He paused his hand for a moment focusing his attention on the swollen nub, rubbing around and over it, coating his thumb in her arousal as he swiped it over her, feeling her muscles tighten around him with every touch. She was tightening around him as she sucked in sharp breaths for air, her thighs squeezing against his sides.

            She cried out loudly as he moved his hand again, rubbing inside her until she clenched around him. Her cry broke off into gasps of his name as she shuddered above him, drawing out her orgasm as her trembles moved her on his hand. He didn’t stop pleasuring her, watching her as she came apart for him. He followed her when her hips lifted, not wanting to stop yet.

            “Enough,” she gasped, grabbing his wrist and pulling him out of her.

            Cullen growled slightly before it died as she cocked her head at him.

            Taking a deep breath, she said, “You do know that you could just say the word if you don’t like what I’m doing.”

            He shook his head sharply. It wasn’t that he didn’t like it, far from it. He was just used to her teasing coming to an end.

            “Still up for more then?”

            “Are you?” he said lowly.

            Soft laughter left her and a shiver wound through her. “Of course,” she murmured.

            Cullen watched her as she reached behind her, hissing lowly as her fingers wrapped around his cock. He couldn’t have stopped his hips snapping up if he’d tried. She murmured something before she was shifting back, lifting over him. Was she finally going to take him? Was she finally going to give him relief? He swore sharply, the word snapping through the room when she fit him between slick folds, rocking her hips so he slid through her sex. “Elora!”

            Her hands braced on his stomach as she moved over him, dragging wet flesh over his cock. She caught her lower lip between her teeth as she rolled her body and moaned as the head of him rubbed against her clit.

            His hands curled into fists, clenching around anything he was touching. He was ready to burst and she did this to him? All she had to do was shift a little, change how she was moving and he’d be pushing inside her. She was more than ready for him, was still soaked from her first orgasm and he wanted to feel her tighten around his cock, not just his fingers. But she seemed content enough to just do this.

            Although, he could see the colour on her cheeks, see the way her lips were parted again as she sucked in air, and he wondered if she was really going to last much longer.

            He jerked on the table when she pressed down against him, slowly sliding him through her sex. “Elora!”

            She was slow to move away, clearly not wanting to do it, but her hips popped up.

            Cullen was breathing harshly, taking them through clenched teeth. His muscles ached nearly as bad as his cock from staying as still as he could. He wanted to move, wanted to fuck her, wanted her to finally grant him the release that had been humming under his skin for too long.

            When he looked at her, he saw she was watching him, her gaze hot. “Ells,” he said softly.

            Using one hand to keep herself balanced on him, she reached between them with the other and grasped his slick cock. He growled at the feel of her, shaking his head slightly as she gave him a small pump. “Shh,” she murmured, pressing him up and fitting the head inside her.

            He made a strained noise as he kept himself from thrust up and filling her. He could feel her tightening around him, squeezing him already. It was not helping his desire to move. It was one small motion, one quick snap up and he’d-“Elora!” he shouted when she dropped her hips hard, taking all of him in one motion.

            She moaned, moving her other hand to help brace herself as she didn’t wait to start moving. She didn’t spare anything, moving fast and taking him the way he wanted. Her nails were scraping against him as her fingers curled and his stomach was clenching under her touch. The wet sounds of them coming together barely hid both of their gasping breaths and the sharp slap of skin meeting.

            He was so close, so fucking close. After all of that teasing, being inside of her was almost too much. She was hot and wet around him, clenching with every rock. No magic, fingers, or mouth could mimic this and he couldn’t hold out against her. He bit down on his cheek, trying to ride it out, trying to hold off on it, trying…to remember she had told him to tell her when he was close. Fucking Maker! His voice failed him, his mind blanking to anything but the pleasure he was feeling. “Ells,” he gasped, begging her to understand, to not stop, to finally, finally-

            “Yes!” she cried. “Yes, yes, yes!”

            Groaning, his back arched against the table, his feet reaching for the floor to try to find some purchase to thrust into her. He didn’t have as much as he wanted, but in the end it didn’t matter. He yelled her name as pleasure took over, his hips snapping up to push him into her as he came. He felt her hands fist in his shirt before she was pulling on it, her cries slipping through the spaces of his as she climaxed.

            He made a ragged noise as she squeezed him, trembling and shaking on him while her cries dissolved into whimpers and her hips stuttered above him. He felt boneless when she finally stilled, slumping over him to rest on his chest. He tried to wrap his arms around her but they wouldn’t move so he left them on the table, not caring about whatever he had crumpled in them, not caring about the pieces that were scattered everywhere.

            Staring up at the ceiling, Cullen tried to calm his rapid breathing, feeling his heart pound. His skin was still humming, feeling too tight and far too sensitive after everything that she had done. But he was slowly able to relax, to wind down from it all.

            Elora finally sighed deeply and weakly pushed herself up on him. Her hair was a mess when he looked at her, several curls sticking to her cheeks and forehead and the majority of it come loose from the elastic. He watched as she swallowed once, twice and a third time when she still couldn’t speak and he smiled slightly. “Shut up,” she finally said, her lips curling.

            It was lopsided, her smile, and very, very pleased. It was a smile he wanted to see again but he wasn’t sure he could survive that amount of teasing anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Went way beyond what my usual word count is but since I had problems with this prompt for well over a week now, I decided to not care about the word count so much and just let whatever happen happen. And this is what happened.


	14. 69

            Waking up slowly, Elora couldn’t help her small smile as she felt how comfortable and warm she was. The joys of sleeping in a proper bed and being joined by her human furnace who happened to also be the man she was in love with. He was pressed against the length of her, face buried in her hair and arm tight around her waist. It was always like this the first day she was back, both of them usually in a tight tangle that only seemed to disappear when it was time for her to leave again.

            But she didn’t want to think about that right now. Right now she was far more focused on lazing around in bed, in his arms for as long as she could. There was a fifty-fifty chance that she could convince him to stay under the covers today. Sometimes it was very easy and other times it required more effort.  Or her getting creative.

            Cuddling into the pillow, she didn’t bother looking at the clock. She wanted to sleep a little bit more and she wouldn’t be able to do that if she knew what time it was. Reaching down, she threaded her fingers through his against the mattress. They sleepily tightened on hers and made her smile. He would probably wake up soon enough but for now, she would sleep as much as she could.

            The feeling of lips on her shoulder pulled her out of the sleepy haze she had fallen into and she stretched slightly. It rubbed her all along the length of him and got her a low groan that sounded as sleepy as she felt. “Morning,” she mumbled.

            His mouth pressed to her neck, his nose nudging her hair out of the way. “Good morning.”

            Maker take him, that rasp he got in his voice when he had just woken up always sent her arousal through the fucking roof. “Do we have plans for today?” she asked, tilting her head a bit as he kissed higher along her neck.

            “No.”

            “Oh, good,” Elora sighed.

            His hand untangled from hers, moving to cup her breast and lazily swipe his thumb over her nipple. It didn’t matter if it was through the material of the shirt she had thrown on to sleep in last night; he still got the same response from her. He kept her to him as she arched her back, chuckling at the soft sighs leaving her. “That’s a lie,” he murmured, his breath hot on her skin as he nipped at her ear. “I do have plans.”

            “Do they involve me?” she asked, her voice catching as he pinched her lightly through the shirt.

            “Yes.”

            “Hmm,” she hummed and reached back to wind her fingers into his hair. “Do they…involve staying in bed?”

            “Yes,” he repeated, making her moan softly as he shifted his hips behind her.

            Her eyes fluttered shut as his erection rubbed against her and she took a second to enjoy it. Or rather to gather her thoughts to try to speak again. “Do they involve clothes?”

            “Decidedly not,” he growled.

            A shivery sigh left her as his tongue passed over her neck followed by a series of open mouthed kisses that were surely going to leave marks in their wake. “Do they last all day?”

            Cullen’s chuckle was low and decadent. “If you can,” he murmured.

            She laughed breathlessly. “What is this? A competition of stamina?”

            “Of course not,” he said, sucking on the crook of her neck until she moaned. “I’m merely saying that you just got back so you might need to take breaks.”

            “I’m not the one who’s going to need a break, old man.”

            “Old-?! Elora, I’m not that much older than you,” he growled, biting her this time.

            “Still older,” she teased. A squeal left her when he rubbed his cheek against her, the stubble rough on the skin he had just sucked on. “Stop it!”

            “It’s no less than you deserve,” he grumbled.

            Wriggling around to face him, she ignored his displeased grunt and gave him a push. When he resisted, she pushed him again until he was flat on his back. Rolling on top of him, she lifted herself up on hands and knees to give him a smile. “You love me,” she teased.

            He gave her a look that quickly melted off his face when she scooted back on the bed. “I never said that was part of the plan,” he said when she started inching his sleep pants down his legs.

            “No?” she murmured. “You didn’t want this?”

            “I never said that,” he repeated, lifting up to help her. “I just meant-Shit!”

            The last came out as a growl as she flicked her tongue over him and she smiled to herself. “Can’t there be a change in plans?” she murmured, pausing to lick along the underside of him.

            A long groan left him as she lightly blew on wet skin and he lifted his head to look at her. “No.”

            “Come, come, Cullen,” Elora purred, nuzzling against him and enjoying the way he sucked in a harsh breath. “Surely there’s room for a slight change?”

            “No,” he repeated stubbornly.

            “Not even a compromise?”

            His eyes narrowed on her. “You don’t even know what I wanted to do.”

            “Oh, I have an idea,” she murmured, kissing the tip of his erection. She kept her eyes on him as her mouth hovered just above him and she shifted her weight to one arm. The other moved so she could reach between her legs, rubbing through the slick folds until her fingers were wet. She saw his brows draw together as he no doubt heard the wet sounds of her touching herself before he groaned as she wrapped those fingers around his cock.

            “Sweet Maker,” he gasped, his hips curling up to move him in her grip. “Elora, please!”

            “Please what?” she murmured, lazily stroking him. “Take you in my mouth please? Suck on you please? Let you fuck my mouth please?”

            Cullen swore creatively for a moment before he nearly knocked her over as he levered himself up.

            Elora had to shift back, letting go of his cock as her face got a little too close to his abdomen. “Uhm, hi?” she said, tipping her head back to stare at him.

            He sucked in a few breaths before looking down at her. “Compromise?” he said tightly.

            “On?” she hedged.

            She saw his gaze flick over her, lingering for a long moment and she realised that her shirt had lifted enough to expose her. She didn’t get a chance to tug the shirt back down when his eyes came back to hers. “There’s no reason we can’t do this at the same time,” he finally said.

            “At the same-Oh!”  She didn’t know why the thought of that had her flushing but it did.

            “Is that enough of a compromise for you?” he asked when she didn’t say anything else.

            “Ah, yes?” she said before mentally cursing herself.

            His brows rose. “Of all the things we’ve done, that’s embarrassing you?” he said in surprise.

            She scrunched up her nose and pushed back so she was sitting on her knees. "Well, I've never done it before," she muttered. "And I wasn't expecting you to suggest it.”

            "Well I did."

            Meaning it was up to her to say yes or no. She didn't know why the thought of it made her blush. It wasn't like they hadn't done the exact same thing separately, in various positions no less. How was this any different? "Top or bottom?" she whispered.

            “You’re blushing,” he murmured, his voice full of laughter.

            “Can you blame me?” she demanded, trying to bat his hands away when he tugged her shirt off. It didn’t work and she was shaking her hair over her shoulders, crossing her arms to cover her nakedness.

            His hands settled on her shoulders before trailing down her arms. “Maker, it’s spreading,” he laughed quietly, gently tugging her arms away.

            “Cullen!” she growled, smacking his chest.

            He laughed and reached up to cup her face. Leaning forward, he kissed her slowly. He gently stroked her jaw for a moment before he was lying back down. "Come here."

            Oh she was definitely blushing as she moved so she was sitting beside him on the bed. His soft chuckle was not helping matters as he cupped her knee and encouraged her to straddle him. Biting her lip, she stared down his body, focusing on his cock. If she just focused on that, she'd be fine. Right?

            Shivers chased themselves over her skin as his hands stroked along her thighs before he was cupping her ass. When he gave her a small push, she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before she leaned forward.

            “You’re going to want to breathe, Ells,” he murmured.

            She hated that he was right before she let out a sigh. What was she doing? Shifting her weight onto one forearm and wrapping her hand around his cock, she heard him suck in a breath and his fingers dug into her slightly, squeezing in response. This was alright, this she knew. Slowly stroking, she waited for him to move but his hands just kept kneading at her. Maker’s tits, why was this-“Oh!” she gasped when she felt his tongue move over her. She hadn’t even realised he’d moved!

            Shuddering as he lapped at her, it wasn’t until his hips rolled gently that she remembered her hand was wrapped around his cock. Her fingers tightened slightly, earning her a moan, before she ran her hand along him. Leaning forward a bit more, she ignored his quiet grunt and took him into her mouth.

            Cullen groaned under her as she slid down him, his arms looping around her waist. She let out a breathless squeak when he pulled her down and his mouth pressed to her. No! He wasn’t going to distract her again!

            Keeping her hand around him, she held the base of him while she moved, taking as much as she could before coming back to the tip. She could feel his arms tightening around her, his fingers digging into her hips every time he brushed against the back of her throat. She held him there when she slid down again, humming when she felt his tongue flick over her clit.

            “Maker’s breath,” he growled against her.

            Elora had to pull back quickly as her cry got caught in her throat at the feel of that growl rumbling through her. She pumped her hand along him as she let her forehead rest on his thigh, breathing deeply to calm herself. It didn’t work because now his mouth was on her, sucking just enough to make her head spin.

            Turning her head slightly, she exhaled slowly and felt him shiver under her as her breath washed over him. She raked her teeth over her lower lip, shifting a little closer to him and pressing wet kisses to the side of his erection. His thigh tensed under her cheek and she heard him suck in a sharp breath as she moved again and took him back into her mouth.

            It was hard to ignore what he was doing with his mouth and tongue, but she slid down him again, moving much slower than what she knew he liked. Her fingers slid from around the base of him to cup his balls and she pulled back quickly as his hips jacked up. She didn’t stop when he made a noise again, despite the way her entire body shook in response to it. She didn’t care what he said about it not being a matter of stamina, she wasn’t coming first.

            Her touch feathered over him, garnering another growling sound and a pop of his hips. But she knew what was she doing. She kept her lips wrapped around the head of him, sucking and licking all around him. The angle didn’t let her tease the underside of him but he was still tensing and clenching under her with every flick of her tongue.

            Elora almost pulled off of him when one of his hands slid around, slipping between them to cup her breast. Her own fingers stuttered when his swept over her nipple, pinching and rolling it to counter the wet laps of his tongue on her clit. No! She was going to win!

            Fully cupping him, she slid back down and took as much of him as she could. She didn’t hold him there this time, sliding up and sucking on every inch. His hips were rocking now, rolling against the mattress and past her lips as she kept bobbing on him, humming pleasantly to herself.

            But he wasn’t slowing down either and she could feel her legs shaking. His stubble was rasping against her thighs, his fingers kneading slowly at her breast, his tongue slipping through slick flesh. She moaned around him, shifting so she could rock against him even as he thrust into her mouth.

            His arm suddenly tightened around her hips, pulling her closer and digging his fingers into her. Her hand moved from his balls to press to his thigh as he jerked under her and she felt him coming on her tongue. Nearly purring, she didn’t pull away from him, swallowing and lapping at him.

            But as lost as she thought he had to be to his orgasm, he was still focused. She squeezed her eyes shut as he didn’t stop sucking on her, the noises tumbling out of him rumbling over her to add just one more layer to her pleasure.

            Her nails scraped against his leg as she couldn’t hold out, letting him slip out of her mouth and moaning as her own release found her. Burying her face against his thigh, she gasped as warmth spread through her, making her shake and whimper in pleasure. She lost track of time as he stretched her orgasm out for as long as he could, lips and tongue not giving her any rest.

            It wasn’t until she was practically sprawled on top of him that he finally stopped, a satisfied sigh leaving him that had her blushing all over again.

            Keeping her face pressed against his leg, she tried to regain her breath and not think about anything. When his arm slid from around her, she carefully rolled off of him to slump onto her back on the bed. She felt the mattress shift and struggled for a moment to get her eyes open. A lazy smile spread across her mouth as she saw that he had moved to stretch out beside her, propped up on one arm. “Well,” she said softly.

            He laughed breathless. “Well,” he agreed.

            “That was an interesting compromise,” Elora murmured.

            His free hand lazily stroked along her body, down to her navel and back up to the coin lying above her breasts. “Yes, it was.”

            “Did it mess with your plans too much?”

            Cullen shook his head. “Not enough to warrant changing anything.”

            “Oh, good,” she murmured, smiling further as he leaned over her to kiss her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm falling behind on everything! I don't even really have an excuse because I wasn't studying for my exams I just got lazy but I'll try to keep this going at a little more regular basis again! Hopefully they'll be easier to write than this one because I continually had to stop and start more times than I like to think about


	15. Sweet and Passionate

            Elora chewed nervously on her lower lip, watching Cullen’s face as he stared into the room in shock. Maybe she should have warned him, maybe a surprise nameday party wasn't the best of ideas, but she had wanted to do something for him. Then Josie had found out that his nameday was swiftly approaching and she hadn't thought twice about it. Now she was definitely having second thoughts.

            “Cull?” she asked gently.

            He gave himself a shake before looking at her with a bemused smile on his face. “Is this why you've been sneaking around?” he asked mildly.

            She squirmed on the spot, tugging lightly on the coin hanging from her neck. “Yes?” she hedged. “It wouldn't have been much of a surprise if you'd known about it, right?”

            A low laugh left him and he wrapped an arm around her to pull her to him. “Right,” he agreed, leaning down to kiss her.

            He didn't get to as shouts and protests rang through the room before they were being hauled apart. “Plenty of time for that later,” Ionas said, holding onto her while Bull kept a grip on Cullen. “Right now it's time for a party.”

            Cullen gave her a wistful look before he was being hauled deeper into the room.

            “Thanks, Yoney,” Elora muttered sourly.

            She felt him kiss the top of her head before he let her go. “Trust me, Ella, you'll thank me later.”

            Throwing him a look, she sighed before smiling slightly as she saw the cluster of people around Cullen. He got so caught up in the war, in training the soldiers, in everything being the Commander was, that he seemed to forget that the troops treasured him and looked up to him more than nearly anyone else.  Most of his senior officers were here, along with the whole of her Inner Circle, and several of the members of the Inquisition. The room wasn’t crowded, but it was full of the people that mattered. At least the ones in Skyhold.

            His siblings had called him early today, wishing he had let them come to the bunker to celebrate his nameday with him. But they had been happy that he had at least talked to them this year. He’d been slouched in bed she had talked to them, giving her a faint look since Mia had called her phone since she had known he wouldn’t pick up and Elora had shoved the phone at him before he’d even been fully awake.

            Elora watched for another moment as he spoke with well wishers before she slipped into the crowd. As much as she wanted to stay close to him, she knew she should let him mingle on his own without her hanging over his shoulder. Besides, she was enjoying the easy smile on his face as he spoke with a pair of lieutenants, no doubt about work from the way they were all gesturing.

            She laughed softly, shaking her head as she turned to go find a drink.

            “You not going to stop him?”

            Elora glanced at Bull, saw him leaning against the wall near the banquet table. “Stop him from what? Talking to people?”

            “He’s talking about work, Boss,” Bull said mildly. “Pretty sure that’s not the point of the party.”

            She shrugged. “It’s his party. If he wants to talk about work, leave him be.”

            He snorted as she picked up a beer, but he didn’t say anything as she wound through the crowd.

            “Did you see the last one? Complete shit is what it is.”

            “They’re just better at it than you give them credit for.”

            “Commander, please tell Tamsen that the Nevarran-”

            “Rozellene, no. Nevarra puts too much focus on offence and their defence is complete shit. They don’t-”

            “You’re telling me that you honestly think the Orlesian team is-”

            Elora lifted her brows at him when she came up to the group. Clearly they were not talking about work at all and she knew better than to get involved in their sports talk. She’d heard Varric mention that these two were far too passionate about their teams and the bets they placed were insane. She knew Cullen followed the games but she hadn’t thought he was as in to it as these two were.

            Cullen shook his head, a faint smile on his lips as he listened to the lieutenants bicker. His smile softened as she held the beer out to him. “I’d kiss you,” he murmured as he took the bottle, “but I’d rather not be manhandled again.”

            Elora smiled at him. “Later?” she murmured.

            His smile grew. “Later,” he agreed.

            She didn’t want to walk away but she heard someone call her name. So she blew him a kiss and went to find the person.

            Time slipped away from her as she visited and chatted with the people that had come to celebrate. She hadn’t realised how many people had actually been invited despite putting the whole event together. She completely lost track of Cullen until she heard a voice drunkenly shout something about gifts.

            “Josie,” Elora said slowly, “please tell me you reminded Ionas and Dorian that we weren’t getting gifts for the party.”

            “I told them, but your cousin and Dorian don’t listen to anyone. Maker willing they didn’t get anything too bad.” Josephine paused, a little worry line forming between her brows. “Although, they did run a mission in Antiva last week.”

            “Fuck,” Elora whispered. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

            Josephine didn’t stop her as Elora spun on her heel to try and find the men in her life. She’d hoped that maybe, just maybe, the pair of them would behave, but she had a sinking feeling as she couldn’t find them. It didn’t get any better as she realised it was getting harder to move because all of the people in the room were starting to form a crowd. Undoubtedly, all gathering around to see whatever gift her cousin and Dorian had gotten her boyfriend.

            …This had disaster written all over it.

            “Oh, don’t worry about it!” Ionas said as she pushed to the front of the crowd. “It’s nothing bad!”

            Cullen threw him a look that was full of amusement. “Why should I trust you when you’re clearly drunk?”

            “Wasn’t drunk when I bought it.”

            Cullen didn’t look like he believed Ionas, but he still took the box from him.

            “Cull-“ she broke off when a hand slid over her mouth and his name finished in a growl.

            “Don’t ruin the moment, Elora,” Dorian murmured behind her.

            She seriously considered biting him as Cullen set the gift box onto the table. Pulling his hand down, she glared over her shoulder at him, her brows dropping lower when she saw the smile on his face. “Dorian, we agreed,” Elora muttered.

            “We know.”

            Elora stared for a moment before her head snapped around. “Cull, don’t!” she said quickly.

            But he’d already lifted the lid off the box and was staring down into whatever was sitting in the tissue paper. “Ionas,” Cullen said lowly.

            Her cousin was grinning at him. “You like it and you know it.”

            “What-”

            “Show us!” someone that suspiciously sound like Bull yelled from the back.

            She saw Cullen eyes flick up as the shout was echoed and she wasn’t sure, but she thought his ears got slightly red. Oh, Maker, what was-Her eyes widened as he hooked his fingers into the gift and lifted it up. “Ionas!” she shrieked as she saw it even as the room erupted into cheers and excited shouts.

            The only thing she could honestly see was thin straps hanging from his fingers with a lot of see through lace, beaded tassels, and not a whole lot of actual material.

            She could hear Ionas and Dorian laughing and knew her face was probably completely red. But she saw Cullen’s gaze settle on her and she felt heat spark to life low in her belly as it dipped to run over her quickly. When he looked back at her face, his ears were definitely red but his expression clearly told her what he was thinking about.

            He swallowed before dropping the lingerie back into the box and putting the lid on it. “So,” he said, glancing at Ionas, “is this a hint of what you want for your next nameday?”

            Ionas blinked at him before squawking. “What? No!”

            “Oh, you already have it then?” he asked.

            “No!” Ionas repeated, backing up with his hands held in front of him. “I didn’t-!”

            Laughter and catcalls filled the room that had him flipping off multiple people.

            Shaking off Dorian’s arms, Elora walked around the table to where Cullen was watching Ionas in amusement. She had a brief moment where she wondered if she could burn the lingerie without anyone noticing. Reaching out to the box, she hadn’t even touched it before Cullen caught her hand and pulled it away.

            “That’s mine,” he told her.

            “You gonna wear it some time then?” she teased.

            Cullen hummed deeply, shaking his head. “It’s my nameday so I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to wear it for me,” he breathed.

            Elora bumped into the table as she stepped back from him quickly. “You can’t possibly want me to wear that thing,” she demanded.

            He smirked lazily at her while she stared.

            She was burning it the first chance she got.

            Tugging her back to him, he wrapped his arm around her to keep her close. “Thank you,” he murmured. “For this.”

            “You’re welcome, but I’m not wearing that.”

            Chuckling, Cullen leaned down to kiss her. She heard more cheers come up but she was more focused on the press of his lips and parting hers as his tongue slicked over her. He tasted like beer but she didn’t mind. A gasp left her when his hands cupped her ass, squeezing as he hauled her closer to him.

            “You ass,” she muttered against him.

            He smiled. “Is there an amount of time we’re supposed to stay here?”

            She shook her head. “Not really?”

            “Good.”

            She blinked at him when he pulled back before a startled squeal left her when he bent enough to throw her over his shoulder. “Cullen!” she shouted but it was lost in the eruption of cries and applause through the room.

            Gritting her teeth, she didn’t say anything more as he carried her out of the room. It took a long time before the sounds from the party finally faded but he kept her on his shoulders.

            “So much for a quiet exit,” she muttered.

            He laughed quietly. “How else were we supposed to leave after that present?” he asked.

            “We could have snuck out.”

            “It would have had the same result no matter what.”

            She heaved a sigh before the world spun as he pulled her off his shoulder. She didn’t get any chance to orient herself as he backed her up into the wall. “Cullen?”

            He smiled slowly at her and ran a finger down her cheek. “I love you,” he murmured.

            “I love you too.” She paused. “Are you drunk?”

            He laughed again. “I didn’t drink that much,” he said quietly, his thumb rubbing against her lower lip.

            “Uh huh.”

            “So I’m only allowed to tell you if I’m drunk?”

            “Of course not, but-” A low noise left her as he kissed her again, tipping her head back as his hands slid into her hair. She moaned softly, pulling him toward her so he was pressing her against the wall. “Come back here,” she whispered when he started kissing her cheek.

            He mumbled something against her, but he didn’t kiss her again.

            “Cullen,” she murmured, “we’re not making out in the hallway on your nameday.”

            “Then what good is it?”

            Elora laughed and squirmed out from between him and the wall. “Come on,” she said, backing away from him. “We’re almost at our room.”

            He followed her, that lazy smirk back on his lips. “And what do you have planned in our room?”

            She suddenly felt bad. She’d struggled for weeks, since the moment she had found out his nameday was approaching, with what to get him. She hadn’t wanted to ask him, knew he would say that he didn’t want or need anything, so she had been at a complete loss. “Will you be upset if I tell you I don’t have anything for you?” she asked when they reached their rooms.

            Cullen paused a few feet away from her. “Upset? Why would I be upset?”

            “It’s your nameday,” she said, making a weak gesture. “I’m your girlfriend? And I don’t have a gift for you?”

            Studying her for a moment, Cullen finally came forward and cupped her face. “At the risk of sounding like a complete sap,” he murmured, “I don’t need a gift when I have you.”

            Elora pressed her lips together as the urge to sob swelled in her and she let out a shaking breath once she had it under control. “Complete sap,” she agreed.

            He smiled slowly at her. “Get the door, Elora,” he breathed before kissing her.

            Blindly grasping behind her, she fumbled with the handle and they stumbled into the room as it swung open. Letting go of it immediately, she clung to him as they backed further into the open space and heard him forcefully shut the door. “Cull,” she mumbled.

            “Don’t care,” he said, wrapping his arms around her to lift her off of the floor.

            She giggled as he carried her to their bedroom, peppering his face with light kisses. “You’re going to hurt yourself if you keep doing that,” she said softly, lips lingering against his scar.

            He grunted softly and completely ignored her as he carried her closer to the bed. As soon as her feet touched the ground, he was tugging at her shirt, slipping buttons from holes as quickly as he could. She shrugged out of it once they were all free, reaching behind to deal with her bra while he yarded his shirt over his head.

            Toeing off her shoes, she didn’t even get to reach out for him before he was cupping her face and kissing her. This time it was slow, measured, as if he had all the time in the world to do it. She sighed softly even as he shuffled her back the couple of steps to the bed. When he lifted her this time, she wound her legs around his waist and pressed flush to him. His moan made goose bumps rise on her skin as it rumbled through his chest and into hers.

            He kept her relatively balanced as he climbed onto the bed before he was pressing her back against the blankets.

            She smiled at him when he lifted away from her, sitting back on his knees. She shivered slightly when his gaze moved down, focusing on her breasts and she could feel her nipples tightening under his stare. Her hands moved to cup herself, running her thumbs over the hardening buds. She saw him swallow in response, saw him lean forward slightly before he shook himself.

            “Keep them there,” he murmured, scooting off the bed as he reached for her pants.

            “It’s your nameday,” she agreed, teasing herself and wriggling her hips as he peeled the material down her legs.

            “Mm.” He rubbed one hand over his mouth as he got her naked, his gaze moving over her.

            Arching her back, she rolled on the mattress and heard him take a deep breath in response. “Anything else you want?” Elora breathed, watching as he shoved his pants toward the floor.

            His hands wrapped around her ankles and he hauled her so she was at the edge of the bed. He spread her legs as he stepped between them to lean over her. “Beyond you?” he asked, kissing her collarbone.

            She trailed her foot along his leg before laughing as he reached down to catch her knee and pulled her away from him. He kept ahold of her as he started kissing down her chest and got her to giggle as he rubbed his cheek against her breast. When he didn’t pull away, she moved her hands to push at him. “Stop!” she laughed.

            He smiled against her and kissed her quickly before sliding the rest of the way down as he knelt on the floor between her legs.

            Her breath caught as he kissed the curls at the apex of her thighs before she whispered, “It isn’t my nameday.”

            “You’re assuming that this is for you?” he rumbled, kissing along her thigh.

            “Isn’t it?”

            He looked up at her. “And you’re also assuming that I don’t like doing this?”

            She stared at him for a moment, blinking slowly. “Do you?”

            He moved so he was settled between her legs, both hands pushing her thighs apart. “Yes,” he said in a low rumble.

            The muscles in Elora’s stomach tightened at the admission. She trembled as she waited for him to move, waited for him to do something. But for someone who said he liked doing this, he was sure taking his time. “Cullen,” she sighed, twisting on the blankets as his mouth hovered over her sex, “please.”

            He waited a few seconds more, his breath fanning over her and nothing else even touching her. When she squirmed again, he moved; his mouth closed around her clit, open and sucking before he was fully settled. One hand pressed to her stomach as she arched up, pushing her back down and holding her still for him.

            Jerking on the covers, Elora mewled as he sucked on her, his tongue making slow passes over everything it could. She squeezed her eyes shut as tension coiled in her belly with each pull of his mouth. Rocking as much as she could against him, she moaned his name as he didn’t move or let up.

            She felt him shift between her thighs, the hand keeping one of them spread leaving. It took everything in her not to simply close them on his head. She failed completely when he slipped his fingers inside her, pushing down even as her thighs squeezed him.

            “Ells,” he murmured, barely leaving her clit and making her shudder.

            Breathing deeply, she inched her legs back apart until they were on either side of his shoulders. Her toes curled as he covered her again, her legs tensing as all she wanted to do was close them on him. She whimpered brokenly as he pumped his fingers inside of her, rocking her on the mattress with each thrust.

            She pushed herself up on trembling arms, bracing herself on her elbows as she looked down at him. It was a bad idea because the sight of him, golden curls in disarray and buried between her legs, was sin in itself. “Cullen,” she gasped.

            His gaze flicked up to her and her breath caught. Oh this was a bad idea. This was a very bad idea. But she caught her lower lip between her teeth and held his gaze.

            He hummed against her and seemed pleased when she cried out. He didn’t look away as his fingers thrust into her, watching as she shuddered and gasped for air. His tongue flicked at her clit as he pulled back from her before it passed over his slick lips.

            She tightened around him as his tongue lingered on his scar. Inhaling shakily, she tried to reach out for him but she collapsed on the bed as her arms gave out. Twisting on the sheets again, she arched against him and didn’t stop the whimpers and moans leaving her. When he moved, she didn’t bother looking, too focused on the feel of his fingers moving inside her.

            “Ells,” he rumbled and the bed shifted around her.

            Opening her eyes, she stared up at him as he stayed propped above her. He was watching her hotly, but she was more focused on the sheen on his lips. “Kiss me,” she breathed, her voice catching.

            He shifted so he could and she wanted to protest as his fingers slid out of her. But he kissed her deeply, distracting her as his tongue slid against hers. She could taste herself on him, clinging to his lips. She followed him as he lifted just enough to slant his mouth over hers better, not letting him break the kiss for even a second. His lips moved against her, soft sounds leaving them both every time he shifted.

            The bed moved again before one hand ran down her side to slip under her waist. With small, quick lifts, he moved her further onto the mattress. It was hard for him, she was sure, but she buried her fingers in his hair, keeping him right where he was. She wasn’t ready to let go of him yet.

            Wrapping her legs around his thighs as he shifted them, Elora made a pleased hum as he slipped against her. Reaching between them, she ignored his growl as she wrapped her fingers around his erection. He was hot and hard in her hand, thrusting against her hold before stilling as she moved him to press against her entrance. A moaning sigh left her as he pressed forward, filling her slowly.

            Pulling his mouth from hers, he nuzzled against her ear, voice warm as he breathed, “I love you.”

            Trembling as the words washed over her, her hand shifted just enough to part slick folds for him as he slid deeper. She heard him inhale sharply before it came out as a groan and he rolled his hips forward. “Cullen,” she whispered.

            He was pressing kisses to her cheek, her neck, her hair, anywhere he could reach as he rocked into her. “Maker’s breath, I love you,” he repeated, his voice barely more than a moan.

            “Love you too,” Elora mewled, turning her face into his neck as she let one leg slip from around him to let her push into his thrusts. His arm was still under her, lifting her just enough to let him slip into her easily. But that made it harder for her to meet him.

            When he moved so his forehead was pressed against hers, Elora moaned because she knew he wanted her to look at him, wanted to watch her, but she didn’t want to open her eyes. He rubbed his nose slowly against hers, almost as slow as his thrusts, murmuring her name.

            Her lower lip was back between her teeth as she peeked up at him and she bit down harder as she focused on him. He pulled back just enough when he knew that she was looking but he held her gaze, not wavering for a moment. Everything he felt for her was clear for her to see, plain in the love she could see in his eyes, the tension between his brows as he kept his thrusts slow and measured, the way his scar moved as he licked his lips.

            Little trembles wound through her as she didn’t look away, couldn’t look away. Her fingers tightened in his hair, nails scraping against his scalp as even this slow pace pushed her closer. She could feel him moving against her, chest dragging against her breasts, the golden hair there rasping against her nipples with every roll of his body. She could feel the sweat trailing over her skin, doing nothing to help cool her off but maybe that was because he made her burn like nothing else.

            Her thighs squeezed him again and she sucked in a deep breath as she twisted her hand so she could rub her fingers against her clit. Her lashes fluttered, but she kept them open enough to see him, to see his lips part as she clenched around him, to see his brows draw together as she didn’t stop.

            He rocked against her a little harder and she saw his jaw flex as he grit his teeth. Cullen groaned when she cried out as his pelvis pushed on her hand, making her rub herself more. It became a harsh grunt as she came from the firmer touch.

            Elora arched into him, leg tight around him and trying to keep him inside her as he kept moving. Her eyes squeezed shut when she saw him bite his lip and he didn’t pull back on this thrust, grinding his hips into hers. It rubbed him against her clit, sending sparks through her with each one.

            Collapsing under him as she gasped softly, she felt him follow her, pressing her into the mattress. She wriggled her hand out from between them and slowly trailed it along his back, stroking him as he panted above her. His hips were still rocking slightly, more an afterthought than anything else. “Happy nameday,” she mumbled.

            He huffed out a laugh and rubbed his cheek against hers. Before he could say anything, they both heard his phone chirp from the floor.

            She blinked at him when he pushed up enough to look over his shoulder, frown firmly in place. “You don’t have to get it,” she told him. “Nameday privileges and all.”

            Cullen chewed on his cheek for a moment before he glanced at her.

            Elora let out a high laugh as his arm tightened around her and he rolled them to the edge of the bed. “Cull!” she laughed as she wound up on top of him.

            He was smiling faintly, already reaching over to rummage through the clothes pile for his phone.

            Resting her chin on his chest, she watched as he found the device and lifted it up so he could read the message. She rose sharply as he snorted and shook his head. “What is it?”

            “I’m assuming Ionas is trying to tell me that I left my present at the party.”

            Elora’s nose wrinkled. She’d forgotten about the damn thing. “What are you telling him?” she asked curiously as he started typing.

            He gave her a smile. “That I really didn’t.”


	16. Public Place

             “You could at least pretend to have a good time.”

            Cullen cracked one eye open, squinting in the harsh sunlight. “I don't remember saying that I wasn't,” he said mildly.

            “You didn’t have to,” Elora sighed, settling next to him. “You didn’t want to come out here in the first place.”

            He turned his head to follow her, lifting one hand to shade his eyes. He couldn’t see much of her with the glare in his eyes, but he knew she was wearing the floppiest hat he had ever seen and a two piece swimsuit. Neither of which was really going to stop pale skin from burning in the Antivan sun. “I don’t know how to take holidays,” he said quietly. “You know that.”

            “I know,” she murmured, “but I thought you’d at least make an effort.”

            Pushing himself up on his elbows, he gave her a look. “After all of the time we spent in the Hissing Wastes and the Western Approach, I wouldn’t think you’d want to be anywhere near sand anymore,” he said dryly. “Yet here we are, on a beach, in Antiva.”

            “It’s different,” she said, flicking sand at him.

            “How?” he asked, throwing her a look as he shook his head.

            “It’s a beach and not a desert?”

            Cullen grunted softly and flopped back onto his towel. “It’s hot and there’s sand everywhere,” he muttered.

            “The water is right there if you wanted to go in.”

            He didn’t move and he heard her sigh again. “What I really don’t understand,” he said after a couple minutes had passed, “is why you wanted to come here when you burn so easily?”

            “Do you see how many people are here, Cullen?”

            Yes, he had and he wasn’t impressed. It wasn’t the most crowded beach to be sure, but at the same time it was far more people than he would have liked. How was he supposed to keep her safe when there were so many people around them and he was only wearing a pair of swimming trunks?

            “Do you see how many people are here and don’t know or care who we are?”

            His brows drew together slightly.

            “Do you have any idea how nice it is to be here and to not have people calling you by a title? Or asking you to sign something? Or get a picture? Or anything like that?”

            He looked at her again. “Ells….”

            She gave him a small smile. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to get depressing, it’s just…nice to be not recognized out here.”

            “Even at the risk of getting sunburnt?”

            Elora laughed faintly. “I am sitting under our umbrella and covered in a ridiculous amount sunscreen. You are lying flat on your back without anything between you and the sun.”

            “Because I don’t burn like you do.”

            “I still haven’t forgiven you for that,” she grumbled.

            He smiled but she was right. It was getting a little too hot for him. Pushing himself back up, he moved behind her into the shade and sighed quietly. Even though it was ridiculously hot, he tugged Elora back so she was resting against him. “Forgiven me for what? Being born on a farm and always being outside helping with the work or training in a yard with other recruits?”

            She trailed her fingers along his legs. “It would be nice if I could at least tan,” she muttered. “Instead of turning into a tomato for several days, unable to move, then peeling for a few more days, and tada freckles and still as pale as the fucking moon.”

            Cullen smiled faintly, leaning down to kiss one of those lightly freckled shoulders she was complaining about. “I like your freckles,” he murmured, kissing a few more.

            “You’re the only one,” she grumbled.

            Because he was only one that usually saw them. “I think you’ve gotten some more.” He grunted when her elbow connected with his stomach. “There’s nothing wrong with a few more freckles is there?”

            “You going to kiss all of them?”

            He smiled against her. He adored her pale skin, was glad she went to lengths to keep it that way, but these freckles? He loved them and would trace constellations between the light spots. “Maybe when we’re alone,” he promised.

            She laughed softly. “Alright, Commander,” she murmured. “I can accept that.”

            Letting his hands rest on her thighs, Cullen stared over her hat at the water. He’d grown up next to a lake, then it was Lake Calenhad for training and his first years at Kinloch Academy, and then a decade in Kirkwall. Always on the water and yet he had never seen it look so beautiful. He’d never known that the water could be that shade of blue. He wasn’t even sure it was a blue, maybe a teal? The beaches were covered in white sand that was finer than the sand of any desert or any other beach he had been on. The buildings were old, rustic, and exactly what he had always thought of whenever he had thought of Antiva. Josephine had found them a place on the beach, a simple cottage that was remote enough that no one bothered them in the morning, but still close enough that it was a short walk to a café for breakfast.

            It was beautiful here and he could see why Josephine had suggested it to Elora.

            “Hey, come back here,” Cullen said as Elora wormed out of his grip and stood up. “Where are you going?”

            “For a swim,” she said, taking off her hat and tossing it beside him. “You’re welcome to join me.”

            “You want to leave your things?”

            She flicked her fingers at them. “Mage, Cullen. No one is going to take our stuff.”

            He ran his hands back through his hair, pushing the curls off of his forehead and watching as she sauntered away from him toward the water. His hand fell quickly to lever himself up to follow her.

            Elora was knee deep when he caught up to her and turned to face him with a smile when she saw that he was there as well. “Hello, Commander,” she purred, backing away from him and deeper into the water.

            “Inquisitor,” he breathed, following after her.

            “How kind of you to join me,” she continued, bobbing as the water lifted her and pushed her back toward him.

            He caught and pulled her closer. “You presented such an alluring picture, how could I not?”

            Elora laughed and wound her arms around his neck. “Well, I’m glad someone approves.”

            Oh he greatly approved. Her skin was warm from the sun and so much of it was pressed against him. “You’re not doing much swimming, Ells,” he murmured.

            “You’re right. I’ll have to fix that,” she breathed, leaning in to kiss him.

            Her kiss was light and teasing, barely settling in one place before she was moving to kiss him in some other way. He didn’t know what she was about until he felt her shift in his arms, her legs lifting in the water. “Don’t you-!” He didn’t get any further as they toppled back into the water. He didn’t let her go though, his arms keeping her tight to him as they sank down a bit.

            It wasn’t until she squirmed that he pushed against the bottom and surfaced them both. Shaking his head, he tossed his hair back and tried to clear the water off of his face.

            Elora laughed delightedly and he got his eyes open in time to see her shaking out her hair. The grin on her face told him that was what she had planned from the moment she decided to go into the water. “Hi,” she said again.

            “You’re a brat,” he muttered.

            She batted her lashes at him before she shrieked as he tossed her into the water.

            He was grinning as she came up sputtering, swiping her hair out of her face and barely above the water. “Maker, I know you’re short but-” He made a gesture at her.

            “Ha ha. You’re hilarious.” She glared at him and bounced off the bottom to ride the wave closer to him. “A little help?”

            “You going to knock me over again?” he asked, walking to her anyways.

            He caught her on the next wave and took a small step back to better balance himself. She gave him a smile as she wrapped her arms around him again. “Ever my hero,” she murmured.

            A pleased growl left him as she kissed him properly this time, her mouth settling on his. He felt her fingers slide into his hair, nails scraping against his scalp as her tongue slid over his lower lip. He nipped at her briefly before slipping into her mouth.

            When she shifted, he almost broke the kiss, not trusting her not to just tip them back into the water. But her legs wrapped around him instead.

            Sliding one hand up her back, he spread his fingers out between her shoulder blades and pressed her closer to him. When she wriggled against him, he broke the kiss with another growl. “Elora, behave.”

            Her chin tipped down and smiled slowly at him. “We’re in the water,” she breathed. “Away from everyone. No one would know.”

            He wanted to ask her if she was serious, but he knew she was. He’d been with her long enough to know that she was completely serious. “You think you can be quiet?” he asked.

            Pale eyes lit up. “Yes.”

            He wasn’t so sure about that. But his hands slid down to cup her ass, his fingers slipping under the edge of her bikini bottom. “I don’t believe you.”

            Elora huffed, rolling her eyes even as her legs tightened around him. “Never know unless you try.”

            Shaking his head at her, he murmured, “A little help, love?”

            Letting one hand trail down his chest, she leaned back from him just enough so that she could wriggle her fingers between them. He had to grit his teeth as she worked them into his swim trunks and curled them around his cock. “Maker’s tits, Cullen,” she breathed, “you’re already hard.”

            He gave her a look. “My girlfriend is half-naked, wet, and writhing against me,” he said dryly, his voice catching as she rubbed against the head of his erection. “Can you honestly say you’re surprised?”

            “I wouldn’t want it any other way,” she murmured.

            Cullen’s lips pressed together as she stroked him and tried to deal with his shorts. “Fuck, Ells,” he growled, dropping his head to her shoulder and nipping at her.

            “Sorry, this is kinda hard.”

            He rolled his eyes when she snorted at herself. “Elora, if you don’t hurry up, I will drop you,” he muttered.

            “I’m trying!”

            He almost told her to give up, that their little beach cottage wasn’t that far away. They could just go back and make love there. At least then they wouldn’t run the risk of being cau-“Ells,” he groaned as she got him out and he rubbed against her bikini. He didn’t wait for her to do it, hooking his fingers into the material and pulling it aside.

            “Oh,” she moaned as she kept rubbing him against her. She quickly clamped her lips together almost as soon as she made the noise before looking around to see if anyone had heard her. “Shit,” she muttered, “maybe I’m not going to be good at this.”

            “Oh, no,” Cullen said, rolling his hips to push him against her. “You started this, but I'm finishing it.”

            She swallowed, pale eyes darting over his face. “Okay,” Elora whispered, tightening her legs around him.

            Cullen groaned as she squirmed until he started sinking inside her. He felt her arms loop around his neck again, her forehead bumping against his and her lower lip caught fast between her teeth. He watched her for a moment before he snapped his hips forward.

            Elora made a choked noise as he buried himself inside her, nails raking at his back. She stared at him, breathing heavily. “Ass,” she panted.

            He squeezed his fingers around hers and smiled as she arched against him. “Careful, Ells. Don’t be obvious about it.”

            “This was a horrible idea,” she moaned, shivering as he slowly pulled out of her.

            “Sex in the water of probably the best beach in Antiva?” Cullen paused for a moment. “We’re probably the last people to have this idea.”

            She snorted but it became a sigh as he pushed back in. “Don’t try to be funny,” she mumbled but he could see her grin.

            He didn’t say anything, still slowly rolling into her. Her smile softened as he didn’t stop and she tilted her head so she could press a quick kiss to his mouth. He followed her when she pulled away, catching her lower lip between his teeth this time. She mewled gently as he ran his tongue along it and sucked on her. It didn’t take much to get her to come back to him and he only let her go once she was kissing him again.

            The waves were gently moving them back toward the beach but he kept them far enough away from it that it wouldn’t be completely obvious what they were doing. He made a low noise when she pressed quick kisses to his mouth, her hands coming around to cup his face.

            “I love you,” she moaned, her legs tightening to pull her closer to him.

            His fingers flexed against her, holding her against him while he slowly ground his hips into her. “I love you, too,” he murmured.

            He held her gaze as she let her forehead bump against his, listening to the soft mumbles and gasps spilling from her. He kept his motions slow, lazy almost, mimicking the gentle waves around them. Her fingers were kneading at his back now, sliding over his shoulders and up to his neck, stroking along his spine.

            A soft hiss left him when he felt something spark against his skin and his eyes narrowed at her. “Sorry, sorry,” she mumbled, her hands balling into fists against him. “Just…don’t stop.”

            He hadn’t planned on it but he hadn’t expected her to lose control of her magic because of this. He’d certainly taken her in other ways that had elicited that kind of response but never like this. Maybe it was the fact that there were people nearby, in the water and on the beach. They were completely surrounded and yet he was still buried inside her, slowly rocking them both to orgasm.

            He moaned lowly and bit his lip to try to stifle the noise. She was squeezing him now, tightening around him every time he slid home and he didn’t think it would take much more for her to go over. “Ells,” he whispered.

            Her hands came up to thread into his hair and she tilted her head just enough so she could slant her mouth over his. As soon as her lips were on his, he groaned, barely able to contain the sound. The thought of someone catching on to what they were doing was making his stomach tighten-or was that being inside her-and he moved a little harder. It was difficult to brace himself against the water, the sand moving under his feet, but he tried.

            She was still making noises, letting him catch all of them, and she tried to shift against him as much as she could. It only served to rub her along the length of him and made both of them shudder.

            Cullen felt her thighs press into his sides, squeezing even as her fingers tugged on his hair. A deep moan left him when she didn’t stop shivering, shaking in his grasp as she came. Her lips barely left his as she gasped for air, little mewls of his name leaving her. He didn’t even try to hold out against her, thrusting into her until his own pleasure overtook him.

            He tried to lock his knees, tried to keep them upright, but as the next wave washed over them, he toppled back into the water. He barely heard Elora’s squeal before they went under and he kept hold of her, keeping her tight to him. He’d completely lost his balance but he planted a foot and pushed them back up to the surface.

            Elora gasped loudly as they broke the water, shaking her hair out. “Are you okay?” she panted, wide eyes darting over his face.

            “Fine,” he muttered, coughing slightly to clear his lungs. “You?”

            “I’m good,” she said and he could hear the mirth in her voice. “You fell down.”

            “It was the wave.”

            “Am I not that good to make you fall down, Commander?”

            Cullen rolled his eyes at her. “I didn’t say that.”

            “Mmhmm.”

            Sighing, Cullen tightened his grip on her before he tossed her back into the water and laughed outright at her scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of forgot how hard smut is to continually write, especially when you get distracted by other things. I struggled for a bit about what kind of beach/resort type area they were at until I was told to look at the Amalfi Coast and it worked perfectly and made me insanely jealous because I would much rather be there than where I am right now


	17. On the Floor

             Carefully peeling her shirt off, Elora flinched as it still pulled on muscles that didn’t want to be used right now. She let the cloth drop to the floor and pressed her hand to her side. Vivienne had done what she could to help the healing along and advised her to take it easy for the night. She’d also mentioned that she was lucky she hadn’t broken anything given how far she’d fallen. Elora figured the only reason she hadn’t was because she’d cast a barrier fast enough that it had absorbed most of the impact. Just not all of it.

            So she had spent the trip back to Skyhold stretched out in the back of the rover, her head in her cousin’s lap and trying not to whimper at every bump they had gone over. He’d offered to carry her back to their rooms and she’d told him that she was fine, but it had taken only one step for them to both know she wasn’t alright. He’d scooped her up before she could even ask and carried her through the halls and down the floors to where her room was. He’d also muttered about the fact that he was positive this was Cullen’s job since they were now officially dating, but she’d made him swear not to tell the Commander. She’d promised she’d be careful since this was one of the first missions she had gone on without him since they had become a couple.

            And she hadn’t been as careful as she could have.

            Groaning and shaking her head, she hobbled over to her dresser and fumbled with one of the boxes on top of it. She pressed her thumb to the latch and felt the magic inside the lock hum to life at her touch. It sprang open immediately and she rummaged through it until she found the bottle she was looking for. Staring at the off yellow liquid inside, she knew she shouldn’t be considering taking the pain killer, but if she wanted to sleep tonight she knew she was going to need to take something. Of course, this was a long way above the elfroot tablets she would usually take for aches and pains. It would have been perfect if it wasn’t for the fact that there was a small, nasty side effect.

            Elora ran her teeth over her lower lip, wondering if she should risk it. She had a boyfriend now-although he’d probably want to ring her neck or shake her as soon as he found out about what had happened-so at least she wouldn’t have to suffer through this alone. Unless he was really mad at her and decided he was going to avoid her for a while.  

            Heaving a sigh, she swore sharply when even that hurt. “Fuck it,” she muttered, popping the lid and lifting the vial to her lips. She only swallowed a single mouthful but even that had her gagging as it rolled over her tongue and down her throat.

            She closed the lid and put the vial back as a shudder wound down her spine as the horrible taste didn’t leave her mouth. Why did the really good medicines always make her want to throw up? That was the complete opposite of what she wanted.

            Giving herself a small shake, she shut the box and braced herself against her dresser for a moment. It wouldn’t take long for the potion to take effect. She would just have to wait for it to kick in and in the meantime she was going to simply stand here because it didn’t hurt. Much.

            Her nose wrinkled. No it hurt, but it would hurt more if she actually kept moving. Letting out a slow breath, she closed her eyes and waited. Of course, her thoughts turned to what had happened and what she was going to tell Cullen when she saw him. Although, the way her luck was going today, he wasn’t going to come back to the room until late tonight. If he came at all. She still had troubles getting him to understand he didn’t need permission to come here, that he was more than welcome to just stay here even if she wasn’t here.

            He’d moved a few things in though, clothes and the like. She’d found a pile of reports and his tablet on her desk one morning and had to remind him that if he was going to check his messages in the morning, he’d need to bring his charger because she was always using hers, killing her electronics every day. But it was the clothes that made her happy because she knew that it meant that he planned on being here in the mornings, needing those changes of clothes before they went out to face the day.

            She shivered and glanced at her closet. It was partially open and she could see some of his shirts hanging beside her clothes. It should have been a silly thing to be happy about, his clothes with hers, but she knew his cologne, his scent, clung to those clothes and would be on hers when she put them on. Just the thought of it had her skin tingling.

            Her head dropped on a moan. No. That wasn’t the thought of his clothes with hers. That was the damn potion numbing her pain and firing up all of her senses. She hadn’t expected it to kick in so fast though. Lifting one hand, she rubbed at her mouth for a moment. Someone had to have told Cullen by now what had happened. Surely he’d be along soon enough and she wouldn’t have to do this on her own. But in the mean time….

            Her hand fell from her mouth, skimming down her chest and stroking along her stomach as she came to the waistband of her pants. She barely hesitated in pulling the belt from its loops and opening her fly. A broken sigh left her as she slid her hand into her pants, slipping under her panties and finding wet flesh. She whined softly as her fingers brushed her clit, but her pants were too tight for her to get further.

            Shifting on her feet, she tried to wriggle them down her hips a bit more even as she rubbed circles around her clit. The hand bracing herself on the dresser curled at the sparks of pleasure the touch caused, the sensation amplified due to the tonic. Maybe this was a bad idea. She didn’t know if Cullen was going to come back and she didn’t really want to do this on her own. Not when she knew what it felt like to have his hands moving over her, the callouses on his palms catching slightly against her skin no matter where he touched.

            Elora rose up on her toes before falling back down with a whimper. Maker, he liked touching her. Little ones all day, brushes of his hand against hers, tucking her hair behind her ear, resting his hand on her lower back at the war table. Firmer ones when they were alone, fingers digging into her ass as he pulled her against him, lips moving over her neck and shoulders, hands sliding up her sides to cup her breasts.

            “Cullen,” she mumbled, wishing she knew some magic that would summon him just from saying his name.

            She jumped slightly when she heard the door into her rooms slam shut, hard enough to echo loudly. Glancing over her shoulder, she stared at her bedroom door, hoping beyond hope that it was him. Because as much as she knew what she liked, knew how she liked to be touched, she wanted him to touch her instead.

            The door swung open and her heart leapt into her throat as he strode into the room, slamming this one behind him as well. “Cullen.”

            “You promised,” he said lowly. “You promised you would be careful and I trusted you. I took your word.”

            “It was an accident,” she whimpered, fingertips brushing her clit. Could he not see what she was doing? Could he not see where her hand was?

            “It’s always an accident,” he growled. “And it’s always when I’m not there.”

            “I didn’t know there was structural defects.”

            “The roof collapsed, Elora,” Cullen said flatly. “While you were standing on it and you fell through it and the floor below. That’s more than a structural defect.”

            She pursed her lips together. He was mad. She knew he was mad and had known he was going to be mad. But all she wanted was for him to forgive her so he’d touch her instead. “I’m sorry.”

            He blew out a harsh breath, shoving his hands through his hair. “I know you are,” he muttered, pacing a path from the bed to the wall. “I know you didn’t mean for it to happen, but it always happens when you go out without me.”

            Her hips pushed into her touch, wanting more than just those fleeting brushes against her clit. “Does not,” she protested.

            “It feels like it,” he said, his voice low. “Every time I take my eyes off of you, something goes wrong.”

            “Maybe you need to come out on missions more,” she said hopefully but her voice caught. They used to run missions all the time before they’d started sleeping together. Now that they were he stayed at Skyhold more often than not or so it seemed. But what would it be like for him to come with her, to share a tent with him and make love to him in every corner of Thedas?

            His gaze snapped to her when she whimpered at the thought. “Are you alright? Vivienne’s report said you were hurt.”

            “Was, still am, took something to numb the pain.”

            Cullen’s expression grew hesitant. “What did you take?”

            She shook her head before letting it fall forward. Maker’s tits, he was close enough she could smell his cologne and under that the sweat he had worked up training in the morning. She wanted that on her skin.

            “Maker’s breath, Elora, are you masturbating?”

            “Yes,” she moaned. She wanted to come, wanted him inside her, wanted him.

            Looking back at him, she saw he was staring but she wasn’t sure if it was because he was shocked or because he wanted her to continue. Maybe this wasn’t the greatest idea. They’d only been together for a couple weeks, hadn’t really had time to figure out where they stood sexually with one another, even if they had been having sex. Her with her hand in her pants while he was yelling at her probably wasn’t the best way to go about things.

            He took a step toward her. “What did you take for the pain?”

            “Tincture of embrium and Prophet’s Laurel,” she mumbled, trying to push her hand further into her pants. Was he going to touch her? Or was he going to keep asking questions she didn’t want to answer?

            “Uh huh and were there Amirta Vein petals in there?” he asked lowly.

            Shit. Of course he knew about that and she should have known he’d know what she’d taken.

            “I’m still mad at you,” he told her, taking another step.

            “Are you going to leave?” Elora whimpered.

            Cullen shook his head and she shuddered as his hands slid over her hips, winding around to her stomach. She was grateful he wasn’t touching anywhere near where the bandages were wrapped around her ribs. She didn’t care if she couldn’t feel the pain, she didn’t want to be reminded of the fact that she had stupidly hurt herself. “That is not an easy tincture to come by,” he murmured, lowering his head so his mouth was near her ear. “Did it hurt that much?”

            Not as much as the ache going on between her legs now. “Yes.”

            He made a low noise, clearly not pleased about that information but one of his hands slid down her stomach.

            Elora moaned loudly as his hand slipped under hers, pushing her out of the way as he cupped her sex. She heard him mutter something about how wet she was but she didn’t care. He was touching her, fingers rubbing along her outer lips and making her squirm in anticipation of more. Pulling her hand out of her pants, she shoved them down her legs and tried to wriggle her panties down as well. All it served to do was rub his hand against her and she felt her legs shake as one of his fingers slipped between her folds to stroke her.

            “Get them off, Elora,” he rumbled.

            “I’m trying!” she protested. She was really starting to hate the standard underwear she wore out on missions because it wasn’t exactly easy to get off. “No!” she shouted when his hand left her.

            “Shush,” Cullen said lowly, his fingers hooking into the material and pushing them down her legs.

            Her head thumped against his shoulder as his hand went back between her thighs, rubbing slowly against her again. She ran her hand up her chest and cupped her breast through her bra. Kneading at herself, she felt frustration well in her. This was good, better than her just touching herself, but it wasn’t what she wanted.

            Pushing her shoulders against him, she whimpered and arched her back before curling so she was pressing to him. She sighed lustfully as she felt his erection through his pants and it got her blood to sparking.

            “Elora,” Cullen murmured as she spun to face him.

            She popped up on her toes for a second to kiss him before she fell to her knees in front of him. She heard the choked noise he made as she quickly started on his belt and pants and batted his hands away when he tried to stop her. “Shoo,” she growled, nipping at his fingers when he tried again.

            “Elora, I know what that mixture is doing to you and you don’t have to-Maker!” he gasped as she wasted no time in wrapping her lips around him as soon as his pants were parted.

            She heard his hands slam down on her dresser to brace himself as she slid along him. Her hands were fisted in his pants, holding onto him as she bobbed on his erection. A pleased hum left her as she pulled back and she pressed a kiss to the tip. It earned her a shudder and a moan of her name. Curling one hand around him, she let the other fall between her spread legs. A soft sigh left her as she stroked them both and her tongue flicked out to tease him.

            “Ells.”

            Her head tipped back at the nickname, far enough so that she could see him staring down at her. She loved that nickname, had tried to get him to tell her how long he had wanted to call her that, but he refused. But hearing it now, when his voice was starting to crack and was lower than usual turned it into something she didn’t want anyone else to hear except her.

            Taking him back into her mouth,  she worked fingers and lips in tandem along him. She listened to the catches in his breath, the moans leaving him, the desperate gasps of her name to learn what he liked. At the same time, her fingers slid over herself, rubbing against her clit and slipping further down to tease her entrance. She moaned around him and he barked out a curse. The moan didn’t stop as his hips bucked forward, sliding him over her tongue and deeper into her mouth. She was still watching him so she saw his brows draw together when she didn’t pull away immediately.

            Cullen’s eyes opened slightly to stare down at her and she nearly moaned again at the passion in his gaze. How he had ever managed to hide that from her she would never know but she was so glad he didn’t hide it anymore. His expression tightened as she sucked on him before he was groaning as she slowly pulled back. “Ells, come here.”

            “No,” she murmured. “You come here.”

            “On the floor?” he asked in surprise.

            “Just get down here,” she whined, her hand falling from his cock to rub her breasts again.

            He might have cursed again, she wasn’t sure, but she didn’t care as he crashed down to his knees in front of her. Before she could push him onto his back, he cupped her face, tilting her up enough to kiss her. She sighed against him, her hands stilling for the moment as his lips moved against hers. His hands slid back into her hair, holding her to him as he kissed her greedily.

            She tugged on his shirt, her hands fisted in the material over his stomach. She didn’t care that he still had all of his clothes on and she was nearly naked, she wanted him now.

            A surprised grunt left him when she gave him a shove, breaking the kiss. He didn’t go completely over and she nearly pushed on him again. But she didn’t have to as he moved so that he could stretch out on his back, hands gesturing for her to follow him. He watched her as she kicked off her pants and crawled on top of him. “Wait,” he told her when she reached for him.

            Elora huffed in disappointment, sitting on his thighs and giving him a look. She didn’t want to wait.

            His chuckle was strained at best and he crooked his fingers at her. As soon as she leaned over him, he slid his fingers under her bra and gave it a tug. It took a bit of wriggling and careful balance between the two of them, but he managed to get the last bit of her clothing off and his eyes roamed her body when she sat up.

            Scooting into his lap, Elora tried not to think about the goose bumps that were breaking out on her skin as he looked at her. She wasn’t sure if it was the potion or just him but it was making her pulse race. Rocking against him, she saw him squeeze his eyes shut as he slid between her wet folds. His hands landed on her thighs, squeezing her as she didn’t stop moving in his lap.

            “Elora,” he groaned, fingers digging into her.

            She lifted just enough to reach between them and fit him against her. She yelped when Cullen’s hands suddenly latched onto her hips as soon as she got the tip of his erection inside her and he held her still. “Cullen!” she complained.

            “Easy, Ells,” he whispered. “I’m not going anywhere. Just…go slower.”

            Staring at him, she didn’t want to admit that he had a point, but her hands moved to cover his and she squeezed him gently. She felt when his grip eased up enough for her to lower herself a little more on him. Her lips parted on a sigh but it caught in her throat as she saw how he was staring at her. She was completely naked and bare for his gaze as she sank down on his cock.

            His mouth curled in a wicked grin as she no doubt flushed and looked away from him. But her gaze quickly jerked back when his hips left the floor, thrusting into her when she didn’t move again.

            A shiver wound through her before she pushed back, taking him fully. Biting her lip, she held herself there for a long moment, her hands tight on his. It was hard to believe she had given up on this ever being a reality and yet here they were. Him flat on his back and buried deep inside her and her injured and riding the aphrodisiac side effects of a pain killer…and him at the same time. A snort left her before she thought about it and she clamped her lips together.

            He cocked a brow at her. “Care to share?’ he asked, slowly kneading at her hips.

            “It was dumb,” she whispered, rocking on him.

            “Tell me anyways,” he murmured, his head tipping back slightly as she moved.

            Andraste’s ass. “I was thinking about-ah, how I didn’t think we would ever get here,” she whispered, her voice catching as he moved with her.

            “And?” Cullen breathed. “I know you well enough to know-Maker, yes, do that again! I mean, I know that couldn’t be it.”

            “Just that we’re here and I’m riding an aphrodisiac pain killer and you,” she said in a small voice, blushing because it really was dumb.

            A short laugh left him. “Oh, Ells.”

            Alright, she was done talking. Leaning back slightly, she let go of his hands to reach behind her. Bracing her palms on his thighs, she used them to give her more leverage. She heard him groan at the change but he didn’t stop thrusting.

            Letting her head fall back, she bit her lip as she rode him. Her skin felt like it was burning as pleasure and potion pumped through her and she felt fit to burst. His hands were wandering now, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. Down her legs before stroking back up. Caressing her waist and feathering over her ribs. Teasing the soft undersides of her breasts before moving up to toy with her nipples.

            Her hips jerked when he pinched her and she tried to pull away from him. “Be nice,” she growled.

            He gave her a faint grin before throwing her off balance as he levered himself up. One of his arms slid around her back, his large hand pressing to her to keep her steady. “I should have taken my clothes off,” he muttered, glancing down at where her breasts were now rubbing against his shirt.

            “Too late now,” Elora breathed, grinding down on him. “Next time.”

            His other hand cupped her ass, helping her lift up and slide back down him. “Next time,” he agreed, his gaze finding hers again.

            She pushed off his legs, wrapping one arm around his shoulders and pressing her other hand against his chest. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt as she moved in his lap, alternating between lifting on her knees and circling her hips. Both had her clutching at him, rubbing her clit against him whenever she could.

            Dropping down on him a little harder, she bit her lip with a groan as she stayed there, grinding against him while she shuddered.

            She felt his nails bite into her ass, but he didn’t tell her to stop, to move, so she kept on.

            A whimper left her when he pushed up against her and her head fell forward to thump against his shoulder. “’m close,” she mumbled, pulling on his shirt. “Don’t stop.”

            She thought she heard and felt him kiss her hair but he only responded by sliding his arm around her waist to hold her against him.

            Her cry echoed in the room as he shifted enough under her so that he could brace his feet and thrust into her. Squeezing her eyes shut, Elora gasped as he took her, bouncing hard on his lap with every jerk of his hips. To keep herself from screaming again, she turned her head and bit down on him.

            Cullen bucked under her, swearing harshly, but the sharp movement was all that she needed to send her over.

            Shuddering against him, she tried to move closer to him but he wouldn’t let her move as his hips snapped up into her. Each thrust sent a sharp burst of pleasure through her, amplifying her release. She barely heard him groan, barely felt him tug her hips tight to his as he held them both still. All she could hear was her heart pounding in her ears and her desperate gasps for air.

            “You bit me,” Cullen said after a long moment.

            “Sorry,” she mumbled, barely moving away from him. There was an angry red welt on his neck, a little too high for him to easily hide.

            He grunted and carefully eased them back down to the floor. “You still bit me,” he muttered.

            She wriggled against him, moving from where she had wound up on his chest to his neck and kissing the mark. “Better?”

            The noise that left him this time sounded more like a laugh and she smiled to herself at it. But a part of her knew he was probably going to bite her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He's so gonna bite her back. A few times because he can :D


	18. Lazy Morning Sex

             “Why did we have to come here?” Cullen muttered, giving the servant a look when he tried, for the third time, to take the bags he was carrying.

            “Alistair asked for our help, Cull,” Elora said around a yawn. “It’s rude to say no to kings.”

            “You’re too polite,” Cullen grumbled, giving her a gentle nudge when she stopped walking.

            She made a noise and leaned back against him.

            “No, don’t you dare,” he told her, giving her another push. “You’re not going to sleep on me now. We’re almost at our room. Right?”

            The last was directed at the servant that Alistair had told to take them to their rooms after meeting them just inside the front doors of the castle. “Yes, Ser. Nearly there. If you want I can take the bags and you can take the Inquisitor.”

            Elora snorted and he heard her mutter, “Oh he does.”

            Maker's breath, that wasn't funny and he was sure he saw the servant's eyes dancing at it. “I’m fine and she’s fine. Keep walking, Inquisitor.”

            She threw him a look before rolling her eyes and starting forward again.

            He followed the pair of them, wanting nothing more than to collapse himself. They’d barely gotten back from Halamshiral when Alistair’s message had come in. Elora had been dead on her feet, having spent the entire trip back to Skyhold passed out in his arms but she wasn’t rested. They’d been back for two hours at most, barely caught up on the reports that had piled up in their absence when Josephine had found them to tell them about the king's message. So it had been wait for the chopper to be refueled and then they were heading out again.

            Alistair was going to be lucky if either of them showed up tomorrow. They were liable to sleep the entire day away.

            Cullen wasn’t surprised when the servant opened a door for them and Elora went straight to the bed. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

            The man nodded. “The king also wished me to inform you that the meetings can take place tomorrow after lunch. If that pleases you, Commander.”

            “That’s fine,” he said. “Anything else?”

            “No, Ser. Have a pleasant night.”

            Cullen said something absently as he closed the door before he simply dropped the bags near it and crossed to the bed. “Don’t sleep in those,” he told Elora, yawning himself. “You’ll overheat.”

            She whined softly but he heard her get off the bed.

            Pulling his clothes off, he let them fall where they would. He’d worry about them in the morning, if he did at all. He rummaged for a moment in his pockets and set his phone on the  bedside table. Glancing over his shoulder when he heard a noise, he saw Elora standing on the other side of the bed, her eyes moving over him slowly. “Don’t do that unless you can stay awake for it,” he warned her.

            Pale green eyes flicked up to him. “It’s been a really long trip,” she murmured. "But...."

            He watched her shrug out of her shirt, desire stirring to life at the sight of dark lace against pale skin in the moonlight. His gaze tracked her pushing her pants down her legs and he slowly looked up her body. “Ells,” he murmured. “I’m serious. If you’re going to fall asleep on me, don’t start.”

            “We spent nearly three days in Halamshiral, on our best behaviour the whole time. Before that we were planning for Halamshiral. Now we’re here and we’re alone for the first time in nearly two weeks. Are you telling me that you don’t want to?”

            “Doesn’t matter if I do or I don’t. Do you want to start something and then fall asleep?”

            She studied him for a moment before sighing. “Mm, I really want to,” she complained, “but you’re probably right.”

            And he was slightly disappointed. He was hoping that she was at least awake enough to get them through it. But he wasn’t overly surprised. Pulling the covers back, he settled against the pillows while she crossed the room to their bags. He slumped against them and waited for her to come back.

            It wasn’t long before the mattress was moving and she was cuddling up beside him. Wrapping an arm around her, Cullen brushed his lips over her hair and sighed deeply. He was tired. After everything in Orlais, he’d just wanted to stay in Skyhold for a bit, back in their bed without having to worry about anything for a little bit. He hoped that Alistair wasn’t expecting much of them tomorrow because he wasn’t sure either of them were up to any task right now.

            Frowning as a faint buzzing pulled him out of sleep, Cullen groaned softly and turned his face into the pillow. He didn't want to be awake. To make matters worse, something was shining on his face. How could something be shining on his face when Elora’s rooms at Skyhold were underground? A second groan caught in his throat as he remembered that they weren’t in Skyhold, they were in Denerim, meeting with Alistair to talk about whatever it was the king wanted to talk about.

            He reached out to blindly grope at the bedside table for his phone as it buzzed again. Elora had finally convinced him that leaving the volume on during the night wasn’t the smartest thing to do, not if he wanted to continue sharing a bed with her. Of course he didn’t know why she cared so much. Most nights she slept like a log, barely even waking up when he left the bed and gave her a kiss in parting. But apparently there was something about his ringtone that she didn’t like or something else ridiculous. But he made sure that he turned the volume off at least because he couldn’t quite manage to put it on silent. She’d told him that there were other ways the whole of Skyhold would get a hold of them if they really needed to but he still left it on vibrate.

            He didn’t bother looking at the screen to see who was texting him before the sun was even up. He fumbled through unlocking it and turned his head just enough to see it to turn even the vibrate off. Tossing it back onto the table, he rolled onto his stomach and slid his arms under the pillow. He was still tired, but that didn’t surprise him. He hadn’t gotten a good night’s rest since before going to Orlais. Then with all the stress of that trip weighing on him and the lyrium withdrawals he wasn't going to feel good for a while.

            But Elora was still dead asleep beside him so there was absolutely no reason for him to be awake. So he wasn’t going to stay that way.

            Cullen barely felt the brush of lips against his shoulder but it was enough to tickle. Grumbling, he rolled onto his side, away from the touch.

            Soft laughter filled the air. “Don’t be grumpy.”

            “Go back to sleep,” he mumbled, feeling the bed move as Elora cuddled up behind him.

            Her arm looped around him and he caught it to press her palm against his chest. “We should probably-”

            “No.”

            She laughed again before she settled down against him. She pressed a kiss between his shoulder blades and sighed deeply.

            Cullen kept her hand in his as he dozed again, thumb absently rubbing against her. He listened as her breathing evened out and she went back to sleep. He quickly followed her, letting her presence soothe him.

            Her touch pulled him out of sleep again as her hand slipped out of his, trailing down his chest.

            “Ells,” he mumbled. His stomach tightened when she stroked over his abdomen, her nails gently scraping against him.

            She rubbed her nose against his back before slowly kissing him. “Good morning, Commander,” she breathed.

            A moan left him as her touch moved lower, following the line of hair leading down from his navel. “Morning,” he sighed, already reacting to her touch. But he hissed when her fingers closed around him, chillier than he expected.

            “Sorry,” she said quickly and he felt her palm warm against him. “Better?”

            He pushed into her touch, making her laugh and kiss him again. His own fingers curled into the sheets covering the bed, holding them tightly as she slowly ran her hand along him. It wasn’t going to take her long to get him fully erect, but he still rocked his hips against her, helping her.

            “What do you say about making a call and having breakfast in bed?” Elora asked softly.

            He didn’t care about breakfast, he just didn’t want her to stop.

            She nuzzled against his back again, her lips brushing over him. “No? Did you want to go to breakfast now?”

            His hand shot down to grab her wrist when she started to let him go. “Don’t you dare,” he mumbled.

            “Mm, breakfast in bed it is then,” she breathed.

            He groaned deeply as her fingers tightened around him and only at the last minute remembered that he shouldn’t be squeezing her wrist like he was. “Sorry,” he panted.

            “No harm done,” Elora said softly.

            A whimper nearly left him when she let go of him, his hips bucking forward to search for her touch again. It did leave him when slick fingers wrapped around him, easily gliding along him now. “Maker’s breath,” he groaned.

            She hummed behind him, lips ghosting over his shoulders again. He could practically hear her purring as she stroked him, almost sounding as pleased as he was about it. She kissed him every time he gasped her name as if she was rewarding him for it.

            “Ells,” he moaned, pushing back against her.

            “Already?” she breathed. “We’ve barely started, Cullen.”

            He didn’t care. He gave her another push with his back before he rolled onto it, giving her time to make room. His eyes fluttered shut as her hand returned to his cock and he pressed his head into the pillow.

            “Maker, I love you,” Elora whispered.

            Slitting his eyes open, he looked at her. She was watching his face, her colour high in the morning sunlight. “Love you,” he mumbled back, hips pushing up into her hand. “C'mere.”

            Elora gave him a parting stroke before she rolled on top of him. He was pleased when she didn’t hesitate to move up so that she could kiss him.

            Cupping the back of her head, Cullen lazily returned her kiss. He slid his other hand down her back, wishing she hadn’t worn a t-shirt to bed so he could feel skin instead. He could feel her bare thighs against his sides and he gripped the hem of her shirt to lift it enough so he could touch her.

            “Cullen,” she mumbled against him.

            He rubbed his nose against hers, pressing another kiss to her mouth. She followed him when he leaned back against the pillows and kept kissing him. He felt her shiver as he stroked his fingers along her thigh and he smiled when she squeezed him as she tried to squirm away from him. Although there really wasn’t anywhere for her to go.

            Elora pushed herself up slightly to look at him and his heart skipped a beat at the sight of her. Curls completely in disarray around her and a sleepy smile on her face. The morning sunlight was giving her skin a rosy tint and he wanted nothing more than to try to taste the sunshine on her. Her lips parted on a gasp as his fingers dipped between her legs to stroke her. Watching her, he saw her catch her lip between her teeth as he let his fingers slide a little deeper, the tips of his fingers teasing between the folds of her sex. “Ah,” she moaned as he found her clit, pressing her hips down into him.

            Smiling faintly as he watched her, Cullen continued to fondle her. His touch stayed light, probably lighter than she liked but she didn’t voice any protests. All she was doing was gently rolling against him, her body shifting on top of his. Sliding his other hand down her body, he grasped her hip to hold her to him and she whined in response. “Shh, Ells,” he breathed.

            She made a face at him before pushing out her lower lip.

            “That’s not going to work,” he murmured.

            “Says you.”

            He started to smile again but she used her grip on the mattress to push herself back. Gritting his teeth, he felt her rub against his cock. Catching her gaze, he saw her looking at him expectantly. He didn’t break eye contact with her as he reached between them, wrapping his fingers around himself.

            Elora let out a soft sigh as she moved back a little bit more as he pressed against her entrance. He echoed the sound as she took him, slowly rocking back against him until he was completely inside her.

            He put his hands back on her hips, holding her loosely as she stretched out on top of him again. Quietly moaning as she gently rocked on him, he felt her sleep shirt drag against his chest, an unwelcome reminder that she wasn’t as naked as he liked her. But he wasn't going to tell her to stop when they had only just started.

            Quiet sounds left her as she barely moved on him, content hums slipping from her lips when he thrust into her. She was shifting languidly above him like she had all the time in the world. He nearly protested when the next roll of her hips had him nearly leaving her body as she shifted up to kiss him gently.

            Groaning, he returned the caress, trying to ignore the way she was slowing clenching around him. Maker help him, only the tip was inside her and to feel her slick heat rippling around him would push him over well before he wanted to be done. But her lips were still lazily moving against his, her breaths sighing into his mouth

            Cullen tightened his grip on her hips and tugged her back down on him. He met green eyes as they opened slightly to look at him as he filled her. Her lips were still parted from being on his and she licked them slowly as she rocked on him again. He watched as she put her hands on his shoulders and pushed herself up.

            His breath caught as she slowly arched her back, her hands flat against his abdomen. She let her head fall back as she rode him and he felt her nails scratch at his stomach as her fingers curled. Her hips were smoothly rolling against him, but he wanted something else.

            “Ells, come on,” he murmured.

            “Mm?”

            He gave her a shirt a tug before his eyes narrowed at it. “That’s mine,” he said.

            “You never wear it,” she sighed, her hands trailing down to her thighs and gripping the hem of the shirt.

            Because it had the templar insignia on the front of it. He hadn’t even realised it was still part of his wardrobe, but he was sure that it was because she’d taken it from him and hidden it in with her clothes. “I like this better,” he said softly as she tugged the shirt off and shook out her hair.

            “Of course you do,” she teased, running her hands through her curls before letting them skim down her neck.

            He watched her fingers stroke her breasts, teasing her nipples before she cupped them. Yes, he would much rather look at her and not the burning sword. His hips lifted off the mattress as he saw her knead at herself, catching her nipples between her forefingers and thumbs to squeeze them. “Can you blame me? Have you seen my girlfriend?” Cullen breathed.

            Elora laughed. “I don’t know,” she sighed, rocking on him. “I’m a little more partial to my boyfriend.”

            He smiled, letting his hands slid down to stroke along her thighs. She was still moving leisurely on him, barely shifting and he wasn’t much better. His hips were only lazily leaving the mattress because he was more content to just watch her. A deep sigh left him as she braced her hands on his stomach again and lifted on him a little bit more.

            A small gasp left her when he shifted his hand to rub her clit. She caught her lip between her teeth as he kept rubbing and her eyes fluttered shut as she stopped moving. She moaned his name and pushed into the touch, grinding herself against him.

            Cullen bit the inside of his cheek as she squeezed him with every pass of his thumb. “Ells, I-” He stopped with a moan as she rocked on him.

            She didn’t stop this time, her hips stuttering as his hand stayed on her. Quiet sighs left her, little whimpers breaking them up and mumbles of his name. He saw her brows draw together and his hips popped up sharply. “Cullen,” she gasped, her hands moving to grasp his arms and squeezing tightly.

            He moaned himself as she shook on top of him before she pressed down on him to slowly grind against him. He pulled his hands back to catch hers, squeezing her back as her fingers clung to him. Thrusting against her, Cullen groaned again, rolling under her as his came. He gave a tug and was pleased when she didn’t resist, toppling forward to land on his chest.

            Letting go of her hands, he wound his arms around her back, absently stroking along her spine. She was still shaking against him, her hands pressed to his chest and kneading at him. He could feel her breaths on his skin, her lips moving against him as she mumbled to herself.

            Relaxing into the mattress, Cullen sighed deeply. Elora was cuddling into him, seeming for all intents that she was going to go back to sleep. “We have meetings,” he mumbled but he reached down to catch the blankets resting on his thighs.

            “Later,” she sighed, making a happy noise as he covered them with the blankets.

            He smiled and kissed the top of her head. Later was fine with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone tells you that writing smut is easy, tell them they're dirty liars!


	19. Outdoors

             Rubbing her forehead, Elora wanted to do nothing more than curse every Orlesian she had ever met in her entire life. Which had gone up significantly in the past year. She didn’t like the fact that because of the glowy mark on her hand, everyone suddenly wanted to be her best friend. It was ridiculous and reminded her too much of the games people would play in the Academy. Too many people wanted to be her friend when they heard Trevelyan, but all of them turned on her when they found out she wasn't connected to the family anymore. She had stopped letting that hurt her but this was different. This was outdated lords and ladies attempting to get in with the Inquisition, to say they were friends with the Inquisitor and to try to get her do their personal bidding.

            What did she care about arranged marriages? Or perceived slights to someone's honour? Or the million other things Orlesians thought were important when the world was falling down around them? Or did they not care about the bandits and gangs hiding out in the deserts in their country? Or the people starving in the south? Or that huge hole in the sky that everyone could see?

            No, they wanted to throw parties and dance and quietly back stab each other whenever they could.

            "Am I boring you, Lady Trevelyan?"

            She looked at the lord currently vying for her favour and had a small moment where she considered telling him the truth. How would he feel if he knew she didn't care about him or his sons or how biddable they were? How would he feel if he knew she was completely in love with her Commander and that she had no plans of ever being with anyone else? How would he feel if she told him to shove his problems up his ass?

            "Inquisitor Trevelyan has a lot on her mind," a voice said suddenly from behind her. "And I'm sure she's carefully considering what you've told her."

            Elora flicked a glance at Josephine as she came up beside her. The only thing on her mind was that she needed to get away from this garden party. The air was stifling and all of the nobles were not making any of this better.

            "The matter shouldn't be left for too long. It would be horrible if an opportunity like this was missed. Lord Gaius assured me that the idea would be well received."

            Elora stiffened at the name and the party went quiet as a sharp crack sounded through the air. "You've had dealings with my uncle?" she said quietly, after she was sure she had a lock down on her magic.

            "Yes, my Lady. He was quite adamant that this would be what you wanted."

            Twenty years later and Gaius was still trying to control her life. "I'm terribly sorry, but I haven't had contact with my uncle in years. And while I understand this is no fault of yours, he has misinformed you. The matter of my betrothal to anyone is not a matter I can address currently while there is a hole in the sky and a darkspawn magister currently on the loose. I'm sure you can understand that that is the more pressing matter."

            "Well, of course, but rumour has it that you're well on the way to dismantling his armies. Once the Inquisition no longer needs you, you'll need to think of that future."

            "One day at a time," Josephine soothed before Elora could snap her thoughts on that. "You were telling me earlier about the vineyards on your estate. Surely you didn't supply all of the wine from only your stores."

            "As a matter of fact we did. The season has been kind to us and-"

            Elora didn’t hear anything more as Josephine shooed her away discreetly. She didn’t stop to talk to anyone else, she simply stepped onto one of the garden paths and didn’t stop walking. She was seething as she left the party behind her. How dare her uncle even attempt to make any decision about her life. He had been the one to send her to Ostwick and cut her off from the family and now he wanted to find her a husband? At one point, before her magic had surfaced, there had been talk of betrothing her to one of the Vaels of Starkhaven. That had fallen through and so far as she had known there was never talk of marrying her off again.

            But of course the mighty Gaius Trevelyan had to try to take advantage of her now that she had value again. Without her permission.

            Did he even know she was in a committed relationship? If he did, he probably didn’t care. Despite his templar training, Cullen was a commoner in Gaius’ eyes and, since she was now valuable to the Trevelyan name again, he wasn’t worth her time. Or he was, but only to play with, nothing more. He wouldn’t understand or care that Cullen was the love of her life and she would never be able to be with someone else.

            Her steps slowed as a sigh left her. Maker, the thought of it turned her stomach and made her want to find Cullen right now to reassure herself that he still wanted her. Toying with the coin around her neck, she stopped to look over her shoulder, back toward the party. All three of her Advisors had come with her, along with a few of her Inner Circle, but she’d quickly lost track of Cullen as a few Chevaliers had stopped him to talk almost as soon as they'd gotten there. She hadn’t seen him since then, wouldn’t begin to know where to start looking for him.

            She stopped walking entirely and heaved a sigh. Staring down at the flowers, she gently brushed her fingers over some of the petals. How long had they been together now? After everything they’d been through she felt like he’d always been a part of her life, but she wasn’t ever going to forget that day he’d shown up on her doorstep with Cassandra.

            Elora smiled to herself as her fingers went back to the coin hanging from her neck. So many months ago and she never would have thought that they’d be here now. She’d never thought that he’d actually return her feelings.

            “Are you alright?”

            Twisting, she looked at Cullen as he walked toward her. “Why wouldn’t I be?” How had he found her? How had he even known she had left because she was sure he hadn't been nearby?

            “Leliana said I should talk to you,” he said, coming up to her side. His hand settled on her lower back, his thumb absently stroking against her. “So I’ll ask again and tell the truth this time, Ells. Are you alright?”

            She turned into him, looping her arms around his waist. “I’ll be alright. Just…family things.”

            “They aren’t here are they?” he asked warily.

            “No, no,” she reassured him quickly, leaning back to look at him. “Just their words.”

            “Sometimes that’s worse than they are.”

            “Look at you,” Elora teased. “Only met some of the Trevelyans once in person and already you’ve got them figured out.”

            His hands came up to frame her face and he leaned down to kiss her slowly. “There’s really only one I want to figure out,” he murmured, gently rubbing his nose against hers.

            “You always know what to say,” she breathed.

            Cullen laughed softly. “I don’t know if I’d go that far,” he said, stepping back to offer her his arm.

            Hooking hers through it, she leaned against his shoulder. “I just wish they’d leave me alone,” she murmured as they walked through the flowers and hedges. “I have enough to worry about without my uncle trying to engage me to someone behind my back.”

            She squeaked when Cullen stumbled, pulling her off balance as well. “He what?”

            “Don’t worry about it,” she said quickly. “Now that I know that this is a thing he’s trying to do, I’m going to put a stop to it.”

            But Cullen was staring down at her, brows drawn and she knew he wasn’t happy. “Ells,” he said softly.

            “Trust me, Cullen,” she said firmly. “My family is never going to take me away from you. Never.”

            He sighed deeply. “I thought they liked me,” he muttered.

            “My brothers do, at least the ones that matter. But Gaius seems to think because he’s lord in Ostwick that that gives him the right to interfere in all of our lives. I’m positive Callum is just counting the days until he’s completely in control of the family.”

            “You’re sure we’re not going to just wake up one morning with your fiancé demanding to see you?”

            Shit, she shouldn’t have mentioned anything to him about this. She knew that tone, knew he was not impressed at all. She just wasn’t sure if it was with her for telling him not to worry or her uncle for making the problem in the first place. But she had also promised him that she would be honest with him. “Cullen, that’s not going to happen,” Elora told him. “It isn’t going to happen. I won’t let it and neither will you.”

            His mouth twisted before he sighed. “Right, it’s not going to happen.”

            She smiled at him, starting to rise on her toes to kiss when she froze as she heard voices coming toward them. “Maybe we should-” She gasped when he caught her around the waist, lifting her just enough to get her feet off the ground and he carried her quickly around the hedge and off the path. “Cullen,” she murmured.

            He shook his head, pressing his lips together.

            She bit her lip as they hid behind the hedge, listening as the voices got closer and then passed them by. Looking around, she wriggled in his grip until he put her down and caught his hands. She tugged on him, leading him further from the small opening in the hedges.

            He was shaking his head again but he couldn’t hide the smile on his face. And he wasn’t trying to stop her. When her back bumped into a wall, he pulled his hands from hers and braced them on either side of her head. “We’ll be missed,” he murmured, leaning down to nuzzle against her neck.

            “I don’t really care what a bunch of fops from Orlais think.”

            Cullen laughed quietly against her. “You’re starting to sound like me.”

            There were certainly worse things. “Nothing wrong with taking the advice of the Commander of the Inquisition.”

            She felt him smile against her neck. “If we had the time,” he breathed, “I’d make you scream so they all knew you were taken. Then they wouldn't come to you asking you to marry their sons."

            "Do we not have the time?" she asked, feeling a little breathless at the idea.

            He pulled back slowly look at her. His golden gaze moved over her face, no doubt looking to see if she was serious. Tipping his head slightly, he murmured, "Do we?"

            She was definitely breathless as she nodded.

            Cullen smiled slowly at her. "You're a bad influence, Inquisitor," he said, shifting so he could run his hands over her bare shoulders.

            She really was. Maker, she really was. Shivering as he stroked along her ribs, she wanted nothing more than his hands on her skin. She could feel his touch through the cocktail dress she was wearing but she wanted more. And he knew it too. A startled noise left her when his hands fisted in the material of her dress and he gave it a solid tug. “Cull!” she gasped, her hands coming up to cover her suddenly bare breasts.

            He lifted a brow at her before slowly peeling her hands away from herself. “You have been complaining about that dress since you put it on,” he said patiently, trailing his hands up her sides to cup her. “You’ve been tugging it up all afternoon when you think no one’s looking. Are you going to tell me that this isn’t better?”

            Better? Did he mean him slowly kneading and rubbing at her breasts? Because of the damn cut of the dress and her stupid boobs she hadn’t been able to wear a bra under it and she’d refused the idea of putting tape on herself. But feeling his large palms cupping her, his fingers teasing over her nipples, she could definitely say this was better. “Slightly inappropriate for the party though,” she sighed, arching her back to push her into his touch.

            Cullen chuckled lowly. “You never know with Orlesians. You could start a new trend.”

            Elora laughed weakly but it ended in a moan as he pinched her nipples lightly. “You okay with me going back like this?”

            His growl made her shiver and he shifted closer to her. “I changed my mind. These are only for me.”

            She was fine with that, more than fine. Slumping against the garden wall, she made happy noises as he kept fondling her. Maker, she loved it when he played with her breasts and she knew he loved coming up behind her to cup her through her shirt when she wasn't expecting it. Peeking up at him, she caught her lower lip between her teeth when she saw he was watching her face. But she rolled off the wall again and watched as his gaze dropped down to where his hands were.

            “You want more?” he asked softly.

            Elora nodded, biting a little harder on her lip. He had a penchant for rubbing his stubbled cheek against her, letting his skin rasp against her after he’d gone and gotten her completely sensitive. She watched as he leaned down to kiss the tops of her breasts before he lifted her enough to close his lips around her nipple. Grunting softly as he sucked on her, she threaded her fingers into his hair and held him close to her. She kneaded at his scalp as he nipped at her, mouth moving against her.

            Curling forward, she tried not to gasp for air as she brushed her lips against the top of his head. She pursed her lips when he nibbled on her, teeth and mouth working over her. A pleased sigh left her as he sucked again, his tongue making slow passes on her nipple. “Cullen,” she whispered.

            He let go of her with a wet pop, blowing gently on her wet nipple. He let his lips brush against her, letting her slide between them and teasing her with the tip of his tongue. He was still cupping her other breast, slowly flexing his fingers on her, rolling her nipple between his fingers, rubbing his thumb over her.

            She rose up on her toes with a sharp gasp when his fingers rubbed between her legs suddenly. He followed her, still pressing against her through her panties and not letting her get away from him.

            “Maker’s breath, Ells, you’re already wet,” Cullen whispered. He caught the material to tug it to the side, his fingers rubbing against the slick folds of her sex.

            “Shut up,” she moaned, shifting on her feet. She got her thighs spread a bit further for him, sighing as he pushed one inside her. His thumb was on her clit, rubbing circles while he let her squeeze his finger. Rocking against him, she hummed softly as he moved inside her. He was curling his finger slightly to rub it against her front wall, but she wanted him to slip another in and pump them into her, wanted him to mimic what he was going to do with his cock.

            Cullen pulled away from her again. “Really?” he murmured.

            She blinked down at him. “Wha?”

            His hand shifted and a second finger slid into her. “This is what you want?” he asked, thrusting them into her.

            Her lips parted on a moaning gasp as he straightened but kept his hand between her thighs. She could hear the wet sounds of him moving inside her and she had a brief moment where she wondered if people passing by the hedges surrounding them could hear them. But she didn’t care as her knees shook from the pleasure he was giving her. She was still rocking against him, pushing her hips into his touch. She stared up at him as she panted, watching as he licked his lips.

            “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispered.

            She was leaning heavily against the wall now, her hands still in his hair and probably the only thing keeping her upright. But she shook her head slightly.

            “Yes, you are,” he murmured. “And for whatever reason you picked me.”

            “Love you,” she mewled.

            He smiled and leaned down to kiss her. It was a slow glide of his lips against hers, his tongue slicking against her lower lip before he was gently tugging on it. “I love you too.”

            She tightened around him at the lowly rumbled words and she clamped her lips together as she came. Whimpers and mewls still left her but they were muted. She knew he was watching her climax, letting her rock against him and tug lightly on his hair. It was something she had caught him doing whenever he played with her, always watching to see exactly what he did to her. Pulling herself toward him, she was pleased when his arm wound around her waist to keep her there. Slumping against him, she let her hands fall to his shoulders as she clung to him.

            His fingers slid out of her, leaving her weak again as he brushed his fingers against her clit. She heard a wet sound and buried her face in his chest as she realised he was licking his fingers. “Better?” he murmured.

            Elora sighed and nodded against him.

            “Completely?” he breathed.

            “I’m such a bad influence on you,” she whispered.

            “Mm, maybe it’s more I just needed someone in my life to want to do this with.”

            “Someone?” she mumbled.

            “You. I’ve never felt like this for anyone before, Ells. I don’t think I ever would have with anyone else.”

            Her hands tightened on his shoulders and she pushed back from him. The soft look on his face was completely at odds with the heat in his eyes. “How do you want me?” she said softly.

            She saw his jaw flex as he clenched his teeth. His gaze moved to the wall and he frowned. “That’s not going to work,” he said lowly.

            “Not if you wanted to press me against it, no.”

            Golden eyes dropped to her. “Turn around.”

            Her breath caught but she did what he wanted, bracing her hands on the wall. She shivered as his hands slid under her skirt and tugged her underwear down her legs. Squirming as his fingers trailed along her skin, she balanced precariously on her high heels as he got her to lift one foot at a time. “Don’t leave those here,” she whispered as his hands skimmed back up her legs.

            “Don’t worry about that. I’m not going to forget them,” he murmured in her ear, pressing along her back.

            She pressed her head back against his shoulder at the feel of him. “Come on, Cull,” she breathed as he stayed there. “We’ll be missed soon.”

            He made an aggravated noise but his hips pulled back from her for a moment. She heard the quiet clinking of his belt and the slide of cloth against skin. Then he was gathering her skirt up. “Bend over a bit, love.”

            She took a small step back, feeling him moving with her before she leaned forward further. Her eyes squeezed shut as he rubbed his cock against her, slicking the tip in her arousal. “Cullen, time,” she muttered.

            “How much longer do we have to stay here?” he asked, one hand moving to her hip as he pushed into her.

            “I don’t know,” Elora moaned, her head falling forward. "Why?"

            “Because I want to take you back to our room, not behind some hedges in a garden.”

            “The hotel or Skyhold?” Her voice broke on the last word as he didn’t waste any time thrusting against her.

            “Skyhold,” he murmured, lips moving over her bare shoulders. “I want you back in Skyhold where no one is going to be stupid enough to suggest that you need to be with someone else.”

            “Don’t talk about that right now,” she pleaded, using the wall to push against him. “Just fuck me.”

            Cullen groaned and his hands slid around to cup her breasts again. His hips were smacking against the back of her thighs and he was rocking her on her feet with each thrust. But his hands kept her from going far, not that she had any plans to. He was kneading at her again and already pinching her nipples.

            She didn’t care, pushing against him as much as she could. He was pressing nipping kisses to her neck, his mouth lingering for a little longer than it should, probably leaving marks. She didn’t bother saying anything, wouldn’t have told him to stop if she could. But she knew they had to go back to the party, had to at least make an appearance before they left.

            “Shit, Elora,” he groaned, his mouth moving to her ear as her hand fell to between her legs.

            Elora didn’t say anything, her fingers rubbing circles over her clit. She was squeezing him with each pass of her fingers, her thighs trembling. It wasn’t going to take much to make her climax again. Between the steady force of his thrusts and his hands on her breasts, coupled with her fingers on her clit, she was going to come fast and hard.

            Cullen nipped at the skin just below her ear and his breath was nearly scalding against her skin. He was murmuring something to her, but his voice was low and they were both breathing too hard for her to hear it. She felt his hands slide down to grasp her hips and he held her still as he thrust into her. “Don’t stop,” he breathed. “Maker, Elora, don’t stop.”

            She moaned as he fucked her harder, her hand scraping against the wall. She was ready to come, wanted it more than anything in that instant but she knew she was not going to be able to be quiet about it. A louder moan left her and the hand between her legs snapped up to cover her mouth to try to muffle it. Cullen groaned behind her before she cried out again as his fingers replaced hers.

            He rubbed firmly against her, not sparing anything. She breathed harshly through her fingers before her hand tightened over her mouth. The sound she made was much louder than the last two, barely stifled by her hand and she wasn’t surprised when his hand covered hers as well. But he wasn’t holding her hips anymore and she was shaking on her feet as pleasure soared through her. She was barely keeping herself braced against the wall as he sought his own end inside her, but the hand between her legs slid across her front to clamp onto her hip and pull her back hard.

            The noise that he made nearly had her coming again. She felt him still moving behind her, quick jerks of his hips that slowed to steady rolls before he was leaning heavily against her. His weight pushed her forward, making her stumble into the wall, but he quickly turned them. He leaned back against the stone, both arms moving to cradle her against him. His mouth was still on her neck, absently kissing her this time.

            Her own hand fell from her mouth to rest against his as she sank back against him. “Did we just do that?” she whispered once she was sure she could speak.

            A breathless chuckle left him. “We did.”

            “Maker,” Elora muttered. “They probably heard us.”

            “Probably,” he agreed, his hands sliding up to help her attempt to get her dress back in proper order.

            She hissed softly at how tender her breasts felt as they eased the dress over them. “I want this off,” she mumbled, already tugging at it to keep it up. It did not feel good against her skin at all. Not when she could still feel the way he had cupped her in his palms, the way his lips had moved over her.

            A protest left her when Cullen shifted her away from him, slipping out of her in the process. “Here,” he said quietly.

            Before she could ask what he was about, his suit jacket settled over her shoulders. Eagerly slipping her arms into the sleeves, she pulled it closed over her chest and looked back at him. “Thank you.”

            His smile was lazy as he reached down to fix his pants before he was reaching out to button up the jacket. “How about we plead wardrobe malfunction and go home?” he asked, eyes flicking up to her.

            She grinned at him and wound her arms around his neck. “That is the best advice I have heard all day,” she murmured, standing on her toes to kiss him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this was supposed to be in the gardens at the palace in Denerim but since they were just there in the last chapter I decided they needed to take it somewhere else. And where better than the garden of some snooty Orlesian?


	20. Your Own Kink

             Cullen smiled faintly as he listened to the plans being made across the room. Whatever Dorian and Ionas were coming up with, Elora was completely into and he could practically feel her vibrating with excitement and he wasn’t standing beside her. All three of them were gesturing almost frantically at each other and it only seemed to amp their excitement up even more.

            “Remind me never to give them sugar again.”

            He chuckled at Josephine’s muttered words. “They don’t need it to be like this,” he said casually. “You know that.”

            “It would be easier if I could blame it on something and keep it away from them.”

            She didn’t really need to. Those three usually knew when they could and couldn’t act like this. There were a few occasions where they failed, spectacularly, but it was rare enough that they didn’t have to worry about it. His smile grew when Elora spun on her heel and bounced over to him, her arms winding around his waist as soon as she reached him.

            “So! We’re going to go for a couple hours and see what’s going on,” she said quickly.

            He loosely wrapped his arms around her and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Have fun.”

            She pulled back sharply. “Wait, what? You’re not going to come with us? You’re invited you know!”

            “I know,” he soothed. “But it’s not really my thing.”

            Her expression fell. “Oh, but…well, I could stay here instead and-”

            Cullen kissed her to cut her off, lifting her onto her toes so he could reach her. “No, you’re going to go and have fun,” he told her. “You’re too excited not to go.”

            “Yeah, but I wanted you to go too,” she said in a small voice.

            If they’d been going anywhere else, he might have agreed, but a club with flashing lights and loud music and too many people wasn’t exactly his idea of a good time. He also wasn’t too keen on her going without a full escort, but that would draw more attention than she wanted. And between her and the other two, she would be well taken care of. “You’ll be fine without me,” he assured her.

            She sighed deeply and let her head fall forward to bump into his chest. “You’re sure?”

            Cullen gently rubbed her back before gently pushing her back. “Yes. I’ll see you when you get home,” he promised.

            Elora stared at him before smiling and nodding. She popped up on her toes to kiss him again and murmured, “I’ll see you later, Cull.”

            He watched her go, a faint smile on his lips but he sighed when the doors closed behind them. Glancing at Josephine, he said, “Did you need me for anything?”

            “No, Commander. I think this is going to be one of the first nights we haven’t had anything to do.”

            Cullen nodded slowly. “I’ll be in Elora’s rooms if you need me.”

            He barely waited for her to say good bye before he was moving off. It didn’t take him long to wind through the halls and elevators to get down to Elora’s rooms. Walking through the shared area, he paused before he went into her room, frowning over his shoulder at the door. He usually made sure all of the lights were off, but if any of them drank before they came home, they were probably going to need lights.

            Sighing, he walked over to the door leading into Ionas’ rooms and flicked on a light. Closing the door so only a bit of light was coming through it, he left the main light on in the entrance before going into Elora’s room. He left it closed for now and went over to the bed. His jacket got tossed toward one of the chairs in the room and his boots went under the bed. Stretching out on the mattress, he told himself he wasn’t going to go to sleep. If he did that now, he was going to be up well before he wanted to.

            Pushing himself up on his forearms, he stared across the room at where Elora’s desk was. They shared it for the most part now, her giving him half the space to work so he didn’t need to go to his office to get reports. But he didn’t think there was anything there that actually needed his attention right now.

            He started to sink back onto the mattress, resigning himself to the fact that he had not thought this through, but he stopped when he saw what was on the bedside table. Reaching over, he plucked up the book that had been left open on it and flipped it around to see where she’d left off.

            _Daemon watched as Tabby stayed across the room, teasing him once again. It was all she ever seemed to do and he had thought they’d finally gotten past that. He was apparently wrong. He didn’t know when she had bought the Antivan lingerie, but he heartily approved of it. Or at least he would if she’d come closer so he could show her how much he approved of it, how much he approved of the skin she was baring, how much he wanted to take her like the animal he w-_

Cullen closed the book and stared at the cover. Perhaps he should have done that first as he saw the nearly naked bodies pressed together on the front and the title. “To Tame the Beast,” he muttered. “Maker’s breath, Elora, what are you reading?”

            He set it back down on the table and rubbed his hands over his face. He knew Elora was always reading when she had a chance. She’d devoured The Tale of the Champion in almost one sitting before going directly to Varric to ask him questions after Cullen hadn’t been able to answer her questions. The popular fantasy series out of Nevarra, Dragon Blooded, hadn’t lasted long against her and there’d been a strange debate around the war table about whether it was appropriate to use her title to get an advance copy of the next book. Every time he borrowed her tablet, there were more books on it, more than he was sure she could read but she kept buying them and storing them for rainy days, or so she said. The books Dorian had had brought down from Tevinter, which he still wasn’t a hundred percent sure of what they were about because she blushed and shook her head when he had asked, had lasted a little while longer but he figured that was because she stopped reading them as soon as she wasn’t alone.

            Was this one of them?

            No. He didn’t want to know. There was nothing wrong with reading romance novels as far as he was concerned. They weren’t for him but it didn’t matter to him what Elora was reading.

            Peeking through his fingers, he glanced at the book again. It didn’t matter what she read, but he was curious about it. He knew he would probably regret it but he picked it up again. He stared at the cover, sucking on his cheek. Bronwen Dennell. That was not a Tevinter name. If anything, it seemed more Ferelden. Flipping it over, he read the back of the book and felt his cheeks heat slightly.

            _It was supposed to be another dull night. Come home from a double shift at the hospital, do adult things like laundry, dishes, take out the garbage. Not find a dying man in said garbage. But that’s exactly what Tabby did. And not just any man, but a sexy one with golden eyes that made her blood boil and secrets that will change her life forever._

_Deceived and cast out, Daemon is desperate to get back to his clan, to reclaim his position as alpha that was stolen from him. But he doesn’t have the strength to overthrow the wolf that brought him down. He has until the next full moon to take back his title and he knows that there’s only one thing that could give him the strength he needs. His mate._

_Torn between the life she’s always known and the life she’s never dared dream of, Tabby must decide if she can tame the beast._

            Cullen coughed and set the book down in his lap as he rubbed his neck. Maker’s breath, he was alone and getting embarrassed.  That was not a good start. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed her bookmark and set it where she was at as he opened the book properly. He skimmed over the front page, his brows drawing together as he realised this was only one in a series. “Beastly Urges?” he muttered. “Nature of the Beast? You have got to be joking.”

            He grimaced but turned the pages so he could get to the first chapter. He reached behind him to tug the pillows up so he could lean back against them better. If he was going to read this, he might as well be comfortable.

            _Every muscle ached but he couldn’t stop. He’d made a mistake and now he was paying for it. The entire clan would pay for it but he had to keep going. He had to survive so he could go back and save them. They were his pack and he’d be damned before he let some bastard from another clan come in and steal them from him._

_But he wasn’t going to be doing much if he didn’t stop this bleeding._

_Stumbling into a wall, he groaned deeply as it sent a jolt through him that had him seeing stars. Owen had cheated. He should have known the bastard would cheat because it was the only way he could win. Whatever he had coated his damn claws in was making his blood burn and his stomach heave. If he didn’t figure out what poison was in his system, the bleeding wouldn’t matter so much._

_He had to keep going. He had to. If he gave up now, he’d lose everything._

_Through the haze of pain and blood clouding him, he’d managed to catch the scent again. It was elusive and had been teasing his nose since they had come to the city. He shouldn’t have been able to smell it when he considered how many smells were on the air at once. But it was still there, faint but pure and it stirred something primal in him. If he believed the stories…he would think that it was that of his destined mate. But he was a full grown male and didn’t believe in fairy tales. There was no room in the life of an alpha for day dreams._

_Although, there were whispers that having a mate made you stronger, that having that tie brought you to the full height of your power. If that was true, Owen was as good as dead._

            Cullen pressed his lips together and let out a slow breath. This didn’t bode well, at all, but he didn’t stop reading. The least he could do was get to the part she had been at, just to see, to have some context for that scene.

            He was barely half way to the bookmark when he shifted on the bed, squirming his hips as his pants suddenly felt uncomfortable. He could admit the writing was…provocative to be sure.  He hadn’t expected to actually get aroused from it though. Did the same thing happen to Elora when she read it? Was that why she read it?

            Pausing, he thought about that for a moment, thought about how she would jump him when they’d been separated for any amount of time, how she would pull him into empty rooms when they had literally just had sex that morning. Was this the reason? Or books like this? Did she work herself into a state reading them and then seek him out to help her with it rather than doing it by herself?

            Maker, did she do it by herself, bringing herself to orgasm with her fingers while these words rolled around in her head? Did she think about him while she did it?

            “Shit,” he muttered, reaching down to rearrange himself but he wound up palming his growing erection through the material. Groaning, he rubbed himself slowly, letting his head fall back to thump against the headboard. This was a bad idea. He didn’t know when Elora was coming back and while he knew it wouldn’t matter to her, he wasn’t going to jerk off because her book had gotten him aroused. He just wasn’t going to do it.

            Forcing his hand to go back to the book, he made himself ignore the heat simmering in his veins and kept reading.

            But the closer he got to the bookmark, the more his hand itched to slip back down.

            _Daemon watched as Tabby stayed across the room, teasing him once again. It was all she ever seemed to do and he had thought they’d finally gotten past that. He was apparently wrong. He didn’t know when she had bought the Antivan lingerie, but he heartily approved of it. Or at least he would if she’d come closer so he could show her how much he approved of it, how much he approved of the skin she was baring, how much he wanted to take her like the animal he was._

_But she wasn’t one of his people and she deserved more than a frantic rut. She deserved to be worshipped, to have every inch of skin kissed and caressed. She deserved to be treated with all the respect he had in him. She-_ Cullen jumped when the book was pulled down and his gaze jerked up to find Elora kneeling on the bed in front of him, her legs on either side of his. “You’re home?” he said in surprise, looking at the clock. It hadn’t even been two hours.

            She shrugged. “It wasn’t as good as we thought it could have been and I missed you.”

            “Oh. You should have texted me or said something when you got back.”

            “I did,” she murmured. “I called your name. Twice. You didn’t hear me?”

            “Ah, no,” he admitted.

            Her mouth slowly curved into a wicked smile he knew far too well. “Caught up in it then?”

            “Caught up in-“ Oh, sweet Maker! The book! The fucking book! “It isn’t what you think,” he said quickly, trying to close the book.

            Her fingers stayed in it, refusing to let him close it all the way. “You don’t know what I’m thinking, Cullen,” she said softly.

Andraste preserve him, he could only imagine what this looked like. His only saving grace was that his hand hadn’t been on his cock. “Ells, I can explain.”

            Her expression grew puzzled. “Cullen, you don’t have to explain anything. I’m not going to judge you for reading it. Maker knows I don’t want you judging me for reading it.”

            “I wouldn’t do that.”

            “Then why would you think that I would?”

            He opened his mouth before closing it quickly. He didn’t know and he was just going to embarrass himself if he said anything more on the matter.

            Elora smiled at him again, softer this time before she glanced down at the book. “Mm, I didn’t actually get to read this part yet,” she admitted. “Is it good?”

            Cullen coughed and looked away from her. “I don’t really have a lot of experience with this kind of thing,” he muttered. “I’m not sure if it’s good or not.”

            “Well, I do have experience with this kind of thing so there’s only one solution. Read it to me and I’ll let you know.”

            His eyes jerked to her, his jaw dropping. “You want me to read it to you?” he repeated, sure he had misheard her.

            “Why not? That way we can both enjoy it and I can tell you if it’s worth our time.”

            “You could just read it yourself.”

            She shook her head slowly. “No,” she said, drawing out the word, “I think I’d like to have it read to me. Please?”

            He stared at her for another moment, feeling his cheeks get hot again. Her expression was still soft as she looked at him and he knew that if he said no, she wouldn’t push the issue. But what would she do if he actually read it to her? “Don’t laugh at me,” he muttered, his gaze moving back to the pages.

            “Wouldn’t dream of it,” she breathed, sitting back on her heels and moving her hand.

            Cullen licked his lips nervously. There were so many ways this could go wrong but he could stop whenever he wanted. He kept telling himself that as his eyes scanned the page to find where he’d been before. Clearing his throat, he quietly said, “But she wasn’t one of his people and she deserved more than a frantic rut. She deserved to be worshipped, to have every inch of skin kissed and caressed. She deserved to be treated with all the respect he had in him. She deserved the very best he could give her even if he didn’t think he had anything good to give.”

            Elora shifted against his legs, resting her hands on his thighs and he thought he felt her slowly kneading at him through the material. But she didn’t say anything.

            “Tabby slowly moved across the room toward him,” he continued, his voice catching slightly when Elora got off the bed suddenly. His eyes flicked up to her but she didn’t do anything more than take a couple steps back from him. “The moonlight made her skin glow, the tanned expanse just begging for his touch.” His voice gave out on him entirely when Elora grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head.

            Her hands fell to her jeans before she stopped when he didn’t continue reading. “Cull?” she prompted gently.

            He jerked his gaze back to the page and told himself not to think about what she was doing. “She was poetry in motion and he wanted to make her his.” He heard cloth whisper over skin and his hands shook on the book. She might not be in Antivan lingerie but that didn’t matter to him. Just seeing her mostly naked affected him like nothing else. “She was close enough that he could touch her if he wanted, but he let her come to him. This wasn’t only about him and he wanted her to want him the same way he did.

            “He watched her as she climbed onto the bed-” Maker help him, Elora was climbing back onto the bed! “-straddling his lap and pressing down against his obvious erection. The thin barrier of her lace panties and his underwear did nothing to hide how aroused she was. He couldn’t stop his groan when she rocked her hips, sliding her against his, ah, cock.” Cullen bit his lip as Elora echoed what he had read, pushing the book a little closer to him as she took up his lap.

            Her smile was back in place when he looked at her. She looked like a cat that had gotten into the cream and he wanted to kiss that smile. She rolled her body against him again, one brow lifting at him as he didn’t read anymore. “Then what?” she breathed.

            He stared at her. “I’m not in my underwear you know,” he whispered.

            Her head tipped to the side. “No, you’re not,” she agreed.

            Cullen watched her scoot back and undo his belt and fly. He put one hand on the mattress to help push himself up as she tugged the pants down his legs, throwing them and his socks toward the floor. A low hiss left him when she settled back in his lap, warm skin on either side of his legs, her weight pushing down on his cock as she slowly rocked over him.

            “Now what?” she encouraged.

            “He wanted to touch her so badly but until she put his hands on her, he would let her guide them. Her hands pressed to his abdomen, surely feeling the way the muscles trembled under her touch. She moved them up, tracing around the ridges and dips of his torso, digging into flesh and hovering over scars.” Cullen had to bite the inside of his cheek as Elora’s hands slid under his shirt, moving up his chest and dragging the material with her. She didn’t have to look to know where his scars were, she had spent hours asking him about them, kissing each and every one of them as if she could heal them with the touch. “She leaned over him, lifting off his lap and earning a whine from him at the loss of contact.”

            “Give me this,” Elora said softly, tugging the book from him to set it aside. “Arms up, please.”

            He lifted his arms and leaned forward as she pulled his shirt off of him. He watched as she bit her lip as her gaze moved over him, her fingers slowly trailing down his chest. Starting to reach for her, he stopped at the last second and picked up the book. “If she heard the sound, Tabby ignored it. Her mouth pressed to the base of his neck, lingering on the hollow there. His breath caught when her tongue flicked over it.” Cullen swallowed hard as Elora mimicked what he had read, her breath nearly scalding him. “But she didn’t linger for long. She trailed heated kisses down his chest until she closed them around his nipple and, Elora, fuck!” he cried when she sucked on him, flicking her tongue over him.

            She hummed and he heard her laughter in the sound. She pulled back just enough from him to meet his gaze as he tipped his chin down toward her and passed her tongue over him again while she watched.

            He whispered, “I didn’t read that.”

            “Mm, she probably does it,” she countered, closing her lips on him again to suck and pull away with a wet pop. “But we won’t know if you don’t keep reading.”

            He wasn’t sure he was going to be able to read much more. His hand was already shaking and he was having a hard time focusing on the words. “She sucked on him, teasing him like no other had ever done. Her tongue made circles around him, casually flicking him and making fire scorch through his veins.

            “But it was clear his Tabby was far from through teasing him as she moved her kisses down, following the dark line of hair below his navel to, ah, Maker, Ells, you don’t-!” Cullen stopped talking as Elora’s fingers’ hooked into the waistband of his underwear and took a deep breath. “The tip of his erection was visible above the only piece of clothing he had left on and even though he knew it was coming, his hips still popped up when her mouth touched him. She placed soft kisses all along the head of him, uh, leaving nothing untouched. But she d-didn’t move lower, Maker’s breath, Elora, you’re killing me,” he whispered.

            She smiled against him. “I’m positive I’ve done worse. Are you done reading?”

            He didn’t want to read anymore, he wanted to make love to her. He wanted to strip her bare and pin her to the mattress. But he took a deep breath and looked back at the page. He took a steadying breath even as she kept peppering  kisses to his cock. “She took mercy on him, most likely due to the whimpers and pleas falling from him steadily. Her fingers pulled the underwear down, wrapping her lips around his cock and sliding down him as she exposed him.” He had to pause, reaching down to cup the back of her head as she took him into her mouth, sucking on him. His head fell back, a low growl leaving him while Elora moved along him.

            Swallowing a couple times, he lifted the book up to his face, cracking his eyes open to squint at the words. “He couldn’t remember the last time he had let anyone do this for him, couldn’t remember the last time he had trusted anyone enough to do this for him. But he trusted her and he wanted to howl in pleasure as he brushed against the back of her throat. Keeping still was nearly impossibly and he thrust shallowly into her mouth. When she didn’t protest, he didn’t stop.

            “Her name fell from his lips, a whisper, a plea, a desperate cry that he only wanted her to hear. She was the only one he wanted to ever have him like this and Ells, I can’t,” he groaned, dropping the book and losing the page. “I….”

            She slowly pulled off of him, flicking the tip in parting. He watched as she sat back on her heels. She reached around to her back and unhooked her bra to shrug out of it. “Want me to read it instead?”” she murmured.

            He shook his head slowly. “We don’t need the book. Do we?”

            “Of course not,” she breathed, crooking her finger at him and looping her arms around his neck when he sat up. “But that was…interesting.”

            “You don’t need more ideas,” he muttered, running his hands down her back.

            She laughed huskily. “Where do you think I get them?” she breathed in his ear.

            Cullen shuddered before he gave her a small push so she toppled back onto the bed. “You trying to tell me something?” he asked, hooking his fingers in her panties to slide them down her legs.

            She gently pushed on his chest with her foot and laughed again as he caught her ankle. “No, Ser.”

            He didn’t believe her for a second. Watching her for a moment, he didn’t let go of her leg. Instead, he slid his hand up to catch her knee.

            “Cullen?” she murmured as he took both of her knees in his hands.

            His gaze flicked up to her and he saw her eyes widen at whatever she saw on his face. Leaning forward, he kept his grip on her legs and only let her go when he could plant his hands on the mattress. Without letting her legs fall back to the mattress. He heard her breath catch as he lifted her hips and his cock brushed against her. “You’re sure you don’t want to tell me anything?” he asked.

            She licked her lips, staring up at him. “I changed my mind,” she whispered, hands sliding down his chest.

            Cullen groaned, his head falling forward as she curled her fingers around him.

            She stroked him slowly for a moment before she was squirming. “You’d better start fucking me, Cullen,” she said softly. “Now.”

            He lifted his head just enough to look at her face. She was serious. Shifting his hips, he felt her hand fall away as he thrust into her. His moan drowned out hers and he had to keep himself from bucking all the way into her. He heard her whimper when he didn’t move and he leaned over her further. She mewled softly as he kissed her neck and rolled her head to the side to expose more of her to him. She was trembling under him as he held himself still, only moving to kiss along her neck.

            He felt her hands move to wrap around his back, her hands shaking as they pressed to him. Catching the lobe of her ear between his teeth, he gently tugged on it and slid a little deeper into her. Her moan was strangled this time, cutting off with a gasp as she tried to push against him and couldn’t move anywhere. “Cullen,” she whispered. “Cullen, please!”

            Rubbing his nose against the spot below her ear, he kissed her again before his hips snapped forward. She cried out again, almost screaming as he filled her. Her nails dug into his back and her legs pushed against his arms. Gripping the blankets on the bed, he didn’t let her move anywhere. He could feel her breasts brushing against his chest as she breathed heavily, her nipples rubbing against him each time. His mouth moved back to her ear and he murmured, “Hold on.”

            She mumbled something but her arms tightened around him as much as they could. He had a feeling it wasn’t going to be enough.

            That didn’t deter him as he drew his hips back smoothly before he got her to scream again as he thrust into her. He didn’t pause this time, shifting onto his knees to better balance himself.

            “Cullen!” she cried, her nails raking across his back as he fucked her.

            He barely felt it, was too focused on the feel of her around him, under him. He had her practically bent in half, but she wasn’t protesting. Pushing himself up on his arms, he dislodged her grip as he did and shifted her legs so they were pressed against his shoulders now.

            Her eyes got huge as he slid back inside her and Elora inhaled sharply. “Oh, fuck, Cullen!” she screamed. “Yes!”

            Bowing his head over her, he groaned. She was squeezing him, already feeling like she was going to come. He clenched his teeth and moved harder, fucking her into the mattress. Her hands were grasping at his arms, kneading at him as she bounced under him. He could feel her legs straining against his shoulders, trying to push him away and failing as he didn’t budge.

            Cullen watched as she pressed her lips together. Her eyes were already screwed shut, her brows drawn low over them. He could see sweat tracking down her temples, could feel it trailing down him as well. Elora bit down on her lip, her hands falling from his arms to grip at his. She clutched at him for a moment before they moved above her head to press flat against the foot board. She braced herself against it as best she could. It still wasn’t enough for her to meet his thrusts but that didn’t matter.

            Not when he could hear her breath catching between her gasps. Not when he could feel her tightening around him. Not when he could feel his own climax coming. Not when-

            “Oh, fuck!” she repeated sharply. “Fuck, Cullen. Fuck!” 

            Groaning deeply as she clenched around him, Cullen leaned forward a little more, lifting her hips up off the mattress. She screamed again as he didn’t stop fucking her, his hips slamming into the backs of her thighs. She was gripping the foot board desperately now, tugging on it to try to move away from him but he simply followed her. He didn’t want to stop yet, he was almost there. The ripples of her muscles around him, her frantic gasps for air in his ears, the soft feel of her legs against his chest….

            She cried out his name as his hips snapped forward, burying him inside her as he groaned and slowly ground against her. His hands fisted in the blankets, his arms trembling as he kept himself above her. He bucked into her, jerking and almost whimpering as she squeezed him. Panting for air, he slowly leaned back, his legs shaking as he sat back on them. He slipped out of her as he did, but her legs were still resting against his chest.

            Elora stayed right where she was, gripping the headboard and panting for air. He wrapped his arms loosely around her legs, his hands wandering over her as he watched her. Her breasts were heaving as she breathed and he regretted not spending any time playing with her. But there was always next time and the night was far from over. “Ells?” he rasped.

            “Mm?”

            Cullen swallowed, clearing his throat when he still couldn’t quite speak. “You get to read next time,” he mumbled.

            Her chin tucked down to her chest and her lashes barely lifted to look at him. “Nuh uh,” she muttered. “You don’t get to read those anymore.”

            His lips curled faintly and he turned his head slightly to kiss her ankle. “No? You sure?”

            “Nuh uh.”

            He laughed weakly but he knew what she meant. He wasn’t sure either of them was going to want to read those books again anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was ridiculously hard to write because sometimes it's hard to look at a prompt and go hell yeah I know what my kinks are! Because I apparently don't but I decided my love of romance novels would get me somewhere. And this is where it got me: a little carried away and not too sure what happened. But on to the next!


	21. Shower Sex

 

            Elora wrinkled her nose as she shook her hands lightly. There was still blood and bits dripping from her fingers and she felt disgusting. She was covered in it and she wanted to be clean. But in order to be clean, they needed a room and everyone was in varying states of grossness that no inn keeper was going to want in their business. So they had sent in the person that was the most presentable and were praying that this would work.

            If it didn’t, they were going to have to find a lake or river or something to clean off in. And she didn’t want that. She wanted a shower with high pressure and enough force to just blast this crap off of her skin. It all hinged on Cullen being able to convince the poor inn keeper that they wouldn’t completely destroy their rooms. Which they were probably going to do. She’d have to get into contact with Josephine to compensate the poor people who owned the building.

            “This is atrocious, Elora. How are you just standing there?”

            “Moving makes my boot squish. When they squish, it makes me think about what’s in my boots, Dorian.”

            Her friend made a disgusted noise. “I am never following you anywhere again. Blood of this volume is not going to come out. The new fatigues Dagna made are completely ruined and I’m not even sure I’m going to get the stains off of me.”

            She sighed. Yes, the clothes were ruined, they were all probably going to be cherry coloured for a while yet and she was never hunting a dragon again. She didn’t care if they were threatening people or livestock or land. She was going to just turn away and never even admit that she knew dragons existed. “We’re never going to hunt dragons again. We can just launch a missile at them instead of doing that.”

            “Boss, no, you’ve got to be joking. That was amazing!”

            Well she was glad someone had enjoyed themselves because she was sure that Cullen had been ready to kill her when she’d suggested it. Or rather brought him the request from the king to take care of the dragon terrorizing the Hinterlands. It had taken a lot of convincing and now she regretted it. She was going to listen to the Commander next time. Long range air strike provided less mess and was just all around be-

            They all swung around when the door opened and Cullen came out. “Wait,” he said, holding up his hands as several people started talking at once. “We’re allowed to stay but they only have so many rooms available so you’re going to have to double up.”

            “Well I can see how this is going to go,” Dorian muttered. “Inquisitor and Commander get their room all to themselves for a nice little love nest while the three of us are stuck bunking together.”

            Elora swivelled slightly to look at the others, grimacing at the squelch her boots made. “We haven’t had a sleep over in a while, Ionas,” she said. “Shall we?”

            Ionas snorted while Dorian sputtered. “Whatever you say, Ella. Night, gents,” he tossed at the others.

            “Oh, you can’t be serious.”

            “Ells, love, that’s not what I meant.”

            “I’m not going to complain.”

            Elora smiled at Bull’s comment and wiggled her fingers at her cousin. “Come on, Yoney. A shower awaits us.”

            “I won’t even fight you over it. You can go first and then we can stay up and watch movies while the gents fight over who’s sleeping on the floor.”

            “If you think I’m sleeping on the floor or sharing a bed with either of them, you’re out of your mind. Surely I can go with the pair of you.”

            “Cousins only,” they said together and shared a grin.

            Dorian swore sharply. “That’s completely unfair.”

            “And also irrelevant,” Cullen cut in. “Especially since I have the keys.”

            It was Elora’s turn to swear. “Cull-“

            “Oh, no, you don’t get to toss me out of your room and then turn around and sweet talk me,” Cullen told her. “I’m not so easily won over.”

            Elora glanced at Ionas.

            “Oh, you bloody traitor,” he growled at her. “You’d turn on me all for a dick?”

            Bull snorted while she looked offended. “I’ll have you know,” she said primly, “that is an amazing dick that I would turn on anyone for.”

            “Elora Fiammetta Trevelyan, you have got to be kidding me.”

            She spread her hands at him. “You’ve never seen it so you don’t understand.”

            “Are you done?” Cullen demanded. “Or did you want to stay out here all night discussing that?”

            “That being your dick, Commander. No need to be shy.”

            “Ionas, I’m going to kill you. At this rate I’d rather give the key to Dorian and Bull and leave you both out here.”

            Elora pouted at Cullen. “That’s mean. Who else is going to wash your back?”

            “I’d be willing.”

            “You’re not helping, Bull.”

            Cullen rolled his eyes before tossing one of the keys to Bull. “You can decide whether or not to let them in,” he muttered as he started off.

            Elora watched him walk toward her before moving past. “Cull,” she said, following after him as quickly as she could in her sodden clothes. “Come on, Cullen, you’re not going to leave me out here, are you?”

            “You were just talking about my penis with your cousin in front of Bull and Dorian. I think I have every right to leave you outside for the time being.”

            She stared at his back as he went up to a door and opened it. When he didn’t say anything to her, her shoulders dropped and she looked away. “I guess…I’ll see you in the morning?” she said in a small voice. “Can I at least have the rover keys so I don’t have to stay outside after I figure out how I’m going to get clean?”

            He fished in his pocket for a moment before tossing something over his shoulder.

            She caught the keys and felt herself slump even more. Shit. She’d really made a bad call with the dragon and now she was going to pay for it. Glancing over, she wanted to swear when she saw that Bull was letting Dorian and Ionas into the room. Apparently she was the only one not allowed in the room. “Night, Cullen,” she said quietly, turning to leave.

            She hadn’t even moved when his hand latched onto her arm. “You don’t honestly think I’d make you sleep in the rover did you?” he muttered, hauling her into the room.

            “You weren’t talking to me!” Elora protested. “And you never wanted to go hunt the dragon in the first place!”

 

            He shook his head at her, flicking on the light and closing the door behind them. “Doesn’t mean I’m going to leave you out there to go jump in the lake.”

            “You could have,” she mumbled. “Did you want to shower first?”

            “Then who’s going to wash my back?” he teased, giving her a push toward the bathroom before he made a noise. “Maker’s breath, Elora, you’re covered in it.”

            “I know,” she groaned. “Trust me, Cullen, I know.”

            She hobbled into the bathroom, flicking on the light before she started pulling off her clothes. She heard Cullen follow her but ignored him as she tried to get the soaked material off without making too big of a mess. She knew it was going to happen either way, but she wanted to try to at least make it as minimal as possible. A quiet noise left her as he helped her tug her shirt off. “Thanks,” she murmured as he dropped it.

            His hands reached around to start on her belt as she kicked her boots off. When he shoved the material down her legs, she wasn’t overly surprised when his hands lingered against her hips.

            “Cullen, we’re both filthy,” she reminded him as his hands slid over her thighs.

            He paused and sighed. “Right. Shower.”

            Elora smiled faintly and moved across the bathroom to pull the curtain aside. “Shut it,” she said when she bent over to turn the water on.

            “You can’t really blame me,” he said absently and she knew he was still staring at her.

            “Focus, Commander,” she said firmly as she held her fingers under the water to gauge it’s heat.

            “I am.”

            She laughed before she could stop it. To keep from encouraging him further, she slipped into the tub and flicked the water up to the shower head. A soft squeal left her as cold water hit her skin and she shoved the head down to keep it off of her.

            “Nicely done, Inquisitor.”

            There was no point in responding so she pulled the curtain closed and put her hand back under the spray. It took a little bit for it to warm up and that worried her. Were they going to run out of hot water before they got clean? She really hoped not because she was not a fan of cold showers. She bumped it back up at the same time Cullen slid into the tub behind her. “Did you grab anything to actually wash with?” she asked, stepping under the spray and turning to him.

            Her breath caught as she saw he wasn’t even bothering to hide his gaze moving over her. Despite the now hot water sliding over her skin, she still shivered as his eyes came up to hers. There was a half-smile on his face that was more a smirk than anything else.

            “Cullen, soap,” she whispered.

            “Ours is still in the room. Theirs will work for now.”

            She licked her lips as she saw that he had at least grabbed a few things before joining her in the shower. “Okay.”

            He smiled at her before reaching up to help wet her hair. Her eyes closed as his fingers worked through her hair, helping the curls get soaked faster. She swayed lightly on her feet at the feeling and reached up to hold onto him. “Time to switch,” he murmured.

            She didn’t want to but she turned with him, her body brushing against his in the small space. She watched him for a moment as he tipped his head back to the water. Elora tried to tell herself not to stare, but it was hard not to as the water ran down his torso. Biting her lip, she hummed softly as the drops sluiced over his muscles.

            “You’re supposed to be washing, Elora,” he told her.

            She looked up at his face, but his eyes were closed. How did he do that? But she didn’t dwell on it. Turning to scoop up one of the small bottles, she popped the lid and smelt it. Wasn’t the greatest but she knew there wasn’t much she could do about that right now. She passed him the bottle after she was done with it and began working it through her hair. “Eyes up,” she told him mildly when he groaned.

            “My eyes can go wherever they want.”

            She shook her head at him and finished shampooing. “Switch.”

            He wrapped an arm around her to help them both keep their balance and she knew he was still watching as she washed the suds out of her hair. She felt his fingers slowly rub against her, lingering against her waist.

            “You’re supposed to be washing, Cullen,” she breathed.

            “You’re supposed to be washing my back.”

            She laughed softly, opening her eyes to look at him. “Are we switching? Because you haven’t done anything with your precious hair.”

            Elora yelped when he pinched her and gave him a shove that didn’t move him. “For someone who always has her hands in it, I’d think you’d like it more.”

            “Do I need to remind you about the dragon bits?”

            He rolled his eyes as he let go of her to wash his hair. They worked in silence, switching places as they needed to, until Elora was behind him and he had his back facing her. She was slowly running the washcloth over him, more stroking than anything because he was essentially clean and she just wanted to touch him. They were both clean now and she wanted to take the moment for them.

            So she really couldn’t be blamed when the washcloth dipped below his waistline.

            “Ells.”

            “You’re completely unfair you know,” she murmured, her finger trailing after the cloth.

            “Because I have an ass?”

            “Because you have this ass and you enjoy flaunting it.”

            “I do not,” he protested. “When have I ever?”

            She lightly scraped him and watched him shift away from her. “Wasn’t that the reason you kept tossing me over your shoulder and putting it front and centre? Because you certainly did it a lot.”

            He turned to face her, one brow cocked. “That wasn’t the reason.”

            “I don’t believe you,” she whispered, dropping the cloth.

            He backed her up against the wall, ignoring her shiver at the cool tiles. She stared up at him as he leaned down, his lips brushing against her cheek. His hands were running along her sides, slowly stroking. “It really wasn’t,” he murmured, breath ghosting over her ear.

            Turning toward him, she kissed his jaw. His stubble was rough against her but she loved it, loved the rasp of it on her skin. She especially loved it when he hadn’t shaved for a few days, had let it come in thicker and not just the lighter scruff across his chin and cheeks. Like right now. Pressing her hands to his chest, she slowly let them trail down his body, catching lightly on the hard ridges of the scars littering his torso. “Cullen,” she breathed.

            He kissed the crook of her neck, nipping gently and sucking slowly on her. He made a low noise and moved his mouth just a little higher before treating that spot to the same pleasure. The backs of his fingers were still running over her sides, his knuckles sliding over the spaces between them and rubbing slowly against her.

            “You’re going to leave marks,” Elora whispered.

            “Good,” he growled, teeth scraping against her. “Do you care?”

            “No,” she moaned, squirming on her feet

            Cullen chuckled against her, kissing just under her ear. “Then why bring it up, love?”

            She had no idea. Her head thumped back against the tiles as his hands slid down to stroke her hips. He lingered at the spot where there was a shallow indent between thigh and torso. His hands slid back around, over the curve of her ass. She rose up on her toes as his fingers curled around her, gripping her tightly. “You still mad at me for the dragon?” she whispered.

            “I don’t want to talk about the dragon,” Cullen muttered.

            A breathless moan left her as he pressed his hips forward, his cock rubbing against her stomach. She pushed back. Maker, she loved the feel of him. His hips were still rolling, shifting against her. She pulled back a little bit, just enough to slide one of her hands down to wrap around him.

            His fingers tightened around her ass, his fingers digging in as she stroked him. His breath was hot on her neck as he panted softly, his mouth hovering over her neck now. He was mumbling quietly, pleased growls rumbling out of him with each movement of her hand. He moved a little closer to her, nuzzling just under her ear.

            Elora’s eyes closed as his nose rubbed against the shell of her ear, sighing his name as his lips brushed over her. Rising up on her toes, she trailed kisses over his jaw. “You want to take this to the bed,” she murmured, sliding her hand down to the base and brushing her fingers against his balls.

            A soft shriek left her when he bit her ear, his groan almost loud enough to drown it out. “Why?” he mumbled. “We’re here already.”

            Falling back on her heels, she moved to wrap one leg around his and pulled herself closer. “Yes, we are,” she agreed. “So what are you going to do about that?”

            Cullen pulled back slightly so he could meet her gaze. He didn’t hold it for long before he slid to his knees in front of her. He pressed a kiss to the spot between her breasts, nuzzling against them. His hands were still on her ass, his grip loosened as he kneaded at her. He’d pushed her leg down as he’d knelt, but she was still balanced on one foot as she let the other one stroke his leg.

            Bracing herself on his shoulders, she barely resisted threaded her fingers through his hair. He was still content to slowly stroke her, caressing and fondling at his leisure. She didn’t want to push him when he wasn’t ready to move on yet. She didn’t want to miss out on anything he wanted to do. She was a little disappointed that she didn’t get to stroke him anymore, wanting her fingers wrapped around him and feeling him tremble.

            Elora sighed as he kept kissing down her stomach and sank down to sit on his heels. He was still on level with her belly but his hands slid around to run over her thighs. As he moved them back back up, she shifted her leg to brace it on the lip of the tub to spread herself for him. She pressed her lips together as his fingertips brushed against her sex, gently stroking the slick folds. Her lashes fluttered closed as he kept his touch light, his mouth still pressing kisses to her stomach and nuzzling against her.

            “Yes,” she whispered as one of his fingers slipped deeper to rub circles around her entrance. She squirmed as much as she could before stopping when she slipped slightly. One of her hands shot out to grab the curtain rod and she swore shortly.

            Cullen couldn’t stifle his laughter against her stomach and she could feel his grin against her.

            “It’s not funny,” she grumbled.

            “Mmhmm,” he agreed, pushing his finger into her.

            She rose up on her toes, gripping the bar even tighter. He was slowly thrusting his finger into her, pausing when he was buried inside to rub his thumb over her sex. He gently rubbed against her, the tip of his thumb only brushing against her clit but it still made pleasure spark through her. Her fingers moved to tangle in his hair and gently tugged on him. When he pulled back enough to meet her gaze, she whispered, “Come here.”

            His head tipped to the side, wet curls sliding over his forehead. “I just got here,” he reminded her. “You’re not pulling a Bull on me are you?”

            Elora rolled her eyes and tugged on him again. “It’s definitely not the dragon that’s got me aroused,” she muttered.

            He let his chin rest on her stomach while his finger still moved lazily inside her. “Not yet,” he murmured.

            She huffed at him but it caught in her throat and became a whine as he slid a second finger in. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to breathe as he pumped them into her. She knew he was still watching her but she didn’t care as the hand in his hair moved to cup her breast. She moaned as his thumb rubbed a little more at her clit even as she caught her nipple between her fingers to tease it. The moan got higher when he curled his fingers, turning into a keen as he put pressure on her front wall. “Cullen, yes!”

            They both jumped when something loud banged through the room and she slipped again before his hands caught her hips to steady her. She looked down at him to see him frowning, his head half turned over his shoulder. “That was not,” he muttered.

            Elora flushed when she heard high pitched moaning coming from the room next to theirs. “Shut up, Bull!” she shouted. She couldn’t hear it but she was sure that he was laughing.

            Golden eyes flicked up to her. “Want to give him something to really complain about?”

            She snorted. “I don’t think he’d complain,” she murmured as he stood up. “He’d probably just listen in.”

            One of his hands slid to the leg she still had propped up on the side of the tub, lifting it a little higher and up around his hip. “He’s already listening,” he told her.

            Running her hand up his chest, she kept the other on the curtain rod before she gasped as he picked her up. “Be careful,” she whispered.

            “I’ve got you,” Cullen assured her as her legs wrapped around him. “Not like we haven’t done this before.”

            Not in the shower. For one reason or another. “I’ve already slipped twice-ah, fuck, yes,” she moaned as he slid between her legs. She squeezed him, a thrill of fright rushing through her when one of his hands left her to shift his cock so he could push into her.

            “Shh,” he soothed, his hand back on her ass as he rocked forward. “I’ve got you.”

            Shivering despite the heat in the room, Elora let out a shaking breath as he filled her. She clamped her lips together to stifle her moan as he bounced her in his arms before he was even fully inside her. “Cullen,” she mumbled.

            He rubbed his cheek against hers, absently kissing her. His grip on her shifted and a breathless squeal left her when he pressed her back against the tiles. His fingers dug into her thighs a little and he asked, “Alright?”

            “Cold,” she complained, trying to squirm away from it but he had her pinned there.

            He was moving against her now, smooth rolls of his hips that had her toes curling despite the chills. Hooking her ankles behind him, she pressed her heels against his ass, urging him on. He moved slightly, bracing his feet better before he made her cry out when his hips snapped forward harder than before.

            Her arm slid around his shoulders, trying to pull her closer to him and just holding on. She didn’t have much leverage to move against him but it didn’t seem to matter as he didn’t stop. She could feel the water striking her arm, hot pinpricks that only made her skin tighten all the more. Her breasts were pressed tight to his chest as he rocked them both into the wall with every thrust. He was rubbing her back against the tiles but the heat he was throwing off was more than enough to ward off the chill from them.

            Moaning his name, Elora let go of the curtain rod to wrap both her arms around him. She buried her face in his neck and just held on as he fucked her. She was already breathing hard, clinging to him and purring in pleasure. His lips were moving over her neck and she could hear him mumbling against her.

            But a startled shriek left her followed by a loud shout from him as the hot water abruptly vanished.

            She nearly screamed again when he slipped slightly trying to get away from the cold water. One of her hands smacked into the wall even as she felt him let her go. Her legs tightened around him to keep herself from falling before she heard him swear again and something loud crashed to the floor before they were balanced again. “You okay?” she whispered.

            He glanced down at her, irritation overshadowing the desire in his gaze. “Fine? You.”

            She glanced around to try to figure out what had happened. She had to pull back from him a little as he straightened them up, one hand on her and the other bracing them as close to the wall and away from the cold water as possible. Which meant she could now see what had happened. A bubble of laughter left Elora as she stared up at Cullen. “I told you,” she giggled.

            He gave her a look. “It’s not funny.”

            “You just ripped the curtain rod down because we slipped. It’s a little funny.”

            Cullen rolled his eyes before he growled when she unwound her legs from around his waist. “Where are you going?”

            “Cullen, we broke the shower!” she laughed, trying to find her balance on the slick tub floor.

            “It’s not….” He sighed as she stepped out of the shower, using the towel rack to keep her balance as she moved over the rod. “You’re just going to leave me with this then?”

            “You broke it,” she told him, reaching for a towel.

            “Wasn’t doing it on my own,” she heard him mutter as she wrapped the towel around herself and slipped out of the bathroom.

            She didn’t make it far before the shower turned off and she felt a hand fist in the material around her back. Letting go of it as he tugged on it, she kept going toward the bed. “If you wanted a towel, you just had to say-“ A sigh left her when she was pulled back into him. “Hi.”

            He leaned down to nuzzle against her neck again. “I wasn’t done with you,” he breathed.

            She shifted back against him, rubbing against his still hard cock. “I can feel that.”

            Kissing her slowly, he let his hands wander down to slip between her thighs again. He stroked the inside of them, teasingly brushing against her slick sex. “Were you done?”

            “No,” she sighed, leaning into him. “If the shower is out, where do you want to…?”

            He turned her to face him, bending down just enough to wrap his arms around her waist to pick her up.

            “Cullen,” she laughed before squealing as he dropped her on the bed. She bounced on the mattress but didn’t get far as he crawled on top of her. Winding her legs around his waist, she hummed happily as he didn’t waste any time sliding back into her. Tugging him down to her, she was pleased as he kissed her and pressed his entire body the length of hers. He kept her pinned to the mattress as he thrust into her, smoothly and forcefully enough to shift her on the bed.

            His lips were sliding against hers, making her whimper as he wouldn’t just kiss her deeply. But she didn’t really mind, loved the feel of his mouth on hers. He growled at her when she pressed her head back into the mattress and buried his face in her neck.

            She mumbled as his arms slid under her, pushing her tight to him. He squeezed the breath out of her and a soft squeak left her. His grip barely eased up and she felt him catch her earlobe in between his teeth. Pressing her lips together, she dug her fingers into his back. Every thrust was pushing him against her clit and she clenched around him each time.

            Panting, she turned her head enough to press kisses to his wet curls and a deep moan left her as he returned the kisses. His teeth scraped against her and she arched up into him when he bit her. It took no time for him to work her back up to where they’d been in the shower and Elora didn’t even bother being quiet. The headboard was already banging against the wall so that was more than a clear indicator for what was happening.

            Her fingers dug into the muscles of his back as they flexed above her and she cried out again as he bit her a second time. This time he held her, sucking strongly, more than hard enough to leave a bruise, but it pushed her over. The wet pull of his mouth and the sharp thrust of his hips against her. She screamed his name, thighs squeezing him as she pushed back against him, bucking as much as she could with how he had her pinned.

            His mouth didn’t leave her so she felt the low noise that left him more than heard it and it only made her clench around him. She grasped at his back, blindly searching for something to hang onto as he didn’t slow. But she could feel the tension in him, knew that he was fucking her harder to find his own release. He was moving hard, more desperate noises leaving him now and it wasn’t long before she felt him stiffen further under her palms.

            Cullen’s groan rang in her ears as she pushed up against him, arms and legs squeezing him to try to keep him from moving. But he still thrust into her, sharp, small snaps of his hips that barely shifted him and were more instinct than anything else. They didn’t last long before he was sighing and slumping onto her. His face was still buried in her neck and she didn’t know if he was actually speaking or just kissing her as his mouth moved against her.

            Elora was limp under him, happy and sated as he pinned her to the mattress. She simply tried to catch her breath as his weight kept her from taking a full breath. She still protested weakly when he rolled off of her, dislodging her grip before she squealed when he went right off the bed. “Cullen!” she said quickly, moving to the edge as quickly as she could. “Are you alright?”

            He was flat on his back, glancing between the two beds he was wedged between. “I think I kept the wrong key,” he muttered.

            Soft laughter left her and she reached down to stroke his cheek. “We can just push them together, can’t we?”

            “Mmhmm,” he agreed, catching her hand to kiss her fingers.  “This has kind of been a disaster, hasn’t it?”

            Elora laughed and settled down on the edge of the bed, smiling at him. “It’s certainly been an interesting day,” she agreed. “Blowing up a dragon, breaking the shower, falling off the bed. I think we’d better go to sleep before we set the place on fire or something.”

            Cullen snorted and pushed himself up with a groan. “Ells, that’s not funny.”

            She buried her face in the blanket to hide her smile. Probably not when you were a mage that was overly attached to fire spells.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies about the delay! Didn't have a lot of time or motivation to work on these prompts! I'm hoping I can finish them up quickly though since there's only a handful left!


	22. On a desk

 

            Cullen watched as Elora paced around the room. Although prowled was probably the better word for what she was doing right now. She hadn’t been still for the last five minutes, getting too agitated to sit anymore. He didn’t blame her. The only thing keeping him in the chair was years of Chantry training. Otherwise, he’d be right up with her.

            As it was, he was pissed off himself. Josephine had set this meeting up and assured them it was a good investment of their time, of the Inquisition’s time. It wasn’t. They’d been in this room, waiting, for half an hour without anyone coming to see them. They had woken up early to make sure they were presentable and on time and now this.

            “This is bullshit, Cull,” Elora growled as she passed him. “We didn’t fly out here to be stood up like this. Are they daft? They’re the ones that wanted to meet and to do this?”

            “I know, Ells,” he sighed. “But we probably should have expected something like this. The Antivan Princes always think they’re better than everyone else.”

            Elora paused on her way back, stroking his cheek. “You didn’t have to come with. I know how much you hate these kinds of things.”

            He snorted, kissing her palm. “I wasn’t going to let you come alone,” he said quietly. “I know how much you hate these kinds of things.”

            She smiled at him, leaning down to kiss him. Her lips lingered against his, soft and pliant as he followed her when she tried to pull away. “It’s not so bad when you’re here,” she admitted, her hand moving to run over his hair. “At least they’re not so open about flirting with me when you’re around.”       
            “Ells, it’s Antiva. They flirt with everything.” Including him, much to his consternation. It felt like Orlais all over again. He watched her start pacing. No, it wasn’t exactly like it. They’d been so new to their relationship that it had still been hesitant at Halamshiral. Now, they knew they were both committed to one another and no amount of flirting was going to change that. “Come on, love. Sit back down.”

            She shook her head, twisting a loose curl around her finger. “It’s not right. This. All of this. Maker, we never should have come out here! I know Josephine had the best intentions, but this is a waste of time. We don’t need their help,” she stressed. “They need ours and this is what they do? Leave us waiting for thirty minutes with no word or anything? I’m half tempted to walk out that door right now.”

            Cullen pushed out of his chair and caught Elora as she tried to get passed him. “Hey,” he said, tipping her chin up to look at him, “we’re not going to do that. Ells, we’re not.”

            “I know,” she sighed, winding her arms around him and letting her cheek rest on his chest. “I know we’re not, but there are people out there who actually need our help and we’re stuck here, waiting for someone to come to see us. I didn’t agree to this, Cullen. I didn’t agree to be brought out here to be toyed with when I have a million things I should be doing.”

            He reached behind him to catch her left hand and he pulled it back around. She’d taken to wearing a lace glove whenever they had meetings, to help dampen the glow from her palm, and it was present now. Lifting it to his mouth, he kissed the back of her hand. “I know,” he said softly. “Give them ten more minutes and then we’ll-”

            “Inquisitor, Commander.”

            They pulled apart smoothly, Cullen pivoting to face the person who had just come in even as Elora took a step forward to greet him. “Ambassador,” she said evenly.

            “I’ve been sent to inform you that the meeting will have to rescheduled,” he said, barely coming into the room. “The Prince is simply too busy at the moment to entertain.”

            Cullen stared at him, feeling his irritation spark into something else. Too busy. He had chosen this time. He had chosen Maker awful in the morning when they had gotten in late last night. Clamping his jaws together, he didn’t say anything but he wasn’t sure Elora was going to say anything either. He could feel how tense she was and he could hear her breathing slowly.

            “Thank you for informing us, Ambassador,” she said finally. “I appreciate it.”

            He tipped his head in a barely polite nod. “He’s asked that I inform you that he shall be free after lunch if you would like to schedule another appointment.”

            They were supposed to be returning to Skyhold this afternoon. But he didn’t say anything. Elora was the one in charge here so he would let her make the call.

            “Thank you, Ambassador.”

            He left the room and Cullen let out a low hiss as he tossed himself back into the chair. “Ells, they can’t be serious. We’re expected back. We’ve got meetings in Skyhold tonight.”

            “I know,” she said patiently.

            “We can’t stay. This is a power play. Trying to show us that the Inquisition isn’t as desperately needed as it is.” Cullen sighed and let his head thump back against the chair. “We need to go back.”

            “We are,” she said firmly.

            His chin dropped immediately to look at her. “But you just-!”

            “I never agreed to stay, Cullen,” she told him. “Did I agree to stay?”

            “No,” he said slowly, studying her. “We’re leaving then?”

            “Not right away,” she countered, coming over to him. “I’m not exactly happy about this since you and I were supposed to have a night off. Instead we came to Antiva which could have been alright for date night if we hadn’t gotten in late and needed to be up early. So I haven’t had my date with my Commander and now I haven’t even had the meeting. If you couldn’t tell, I’m more upset about the former than the latter.”

            His lips twitched. Yes, Elora did like their date nights since they had started them. “Then what would you like to do? Did you want to see if we could get brunch in the city? We could wander for a little bit before our flight back.”

            “We could,” Elora agreed, “but I’d rather like to do something else right now.”

            He cocked a brow before a low rumble left him as she hiked up her skirt and straddled his lap. “Ells, here?” he murmured, his hands sliding up her thighs to push her skirt higher and expose the garters she was wearing.

            “Yes, here,” she breathed. “I want you to fuck me on the asshole’s desk.”

            Both of his brows went up. “On his desk?”

            “Mmhmm,” she said, winding her arms around his neck. “We didn’t get to last night or this morning.”

            He knew that because he’d been in the middle of stripping her when Josephine had called them to tell them about this last minute meeting. Neither of them had really wanted to stop but when she had called the second time as soon as they hadn’t picked up, they had answered and packed bags to fly to Antiva. And early mornings and Elora did not go well together so he hadn’t bothered trying to start anything when he knew she needed the time to get ready. “He could still come back,” he warned, his fingers rubbing against her panties anyways.

            “I really couldn’t fucking care.”

            “We might not get business with the Princes again,” he murmured, sliding his hands up to start slipping buttons from holes on Elora’s shirt. “Stop that,” he muttered when she arched her back and made the buttons across her breasts strain even more. “You’re going to pop them and then what will you do?”

            “It’s Antiva. I don’t think they’d care.”

            He finished with the buttons, trailing his fingers over the swells of her breasts. The bra she was wearing was a deep red and wasn’t one he remembered seeing before. “What’s that?” he rumbled, trailing his finger down her breastbone and flicking the small charm hanging from the front of it.

            “Do you like it?” she purred.

            He watched her lean back, planting her hands just above his knees and arching her back further for him. “Yes,” he said lowly. Maker help him, he loved her breasts. He loved all of her but when she did things like this, pretty lingerie or strip teasing or even just cupping her breasts in her hands, he was reminded of the fact that he really loved her breasts. “Where’d you get that?”

            “Nevarra,” she sang, separating the sounds. “We skipped across the border last week and I found a few things.”

            Cullen bit his lip, wanting nothing more than to hook his fingers into the cups of her bra and tug them down. He wanted to lean forward and wrap his lips around her nipples, to suck and nip at her until she was quivering on top of him. He’d figured out what she liked, knew exactly how to toy with her to get her wound up to the point where she was practically begging for more. He would have loved to do that right now, had wanted to do it last night, but being in this office that wasn’t either of theirs wasn’t the best place to do it.

            Elora’s head tipped to the side, her lips curving up in a smile. “Since I know how much you like them,” she said, shifting her weight to one hand so she could reach around to cup herself through the material.

            “What’s not to like?” he murmured. “You fit perfectly in my hands, all pale skin and pink nipples.”

            Her eyes lit up slightly. “Look at you,” she teased, “talking like that.”

            “Well, you are,” he told her, giving in. He reached up and tugged the cups down until her breasts were uncovered, pushed up even more now. “Fuck, Ells.”

            She laughed but it broke off quickly when he covered her, kneading at her slowly. “Oh, Maker,” she sighed, her hand moving to grip his wrist. “Yes, Cullen, like that.”

            He wanted to watch her face, but at the same time he liked seeing the contrast in their skin tones, liked seeing those pert nipples peeking out from between his fingers. He wasn’t surprised when her other hand wrapped around his wrist as well, keeping him right where he was.

            “Fuck,” she moaned. “I feel like you haven’t touched me in months.”

            “It’s only been a week at most,” he muttered. “You weren’t gone that long.”

            Her lower lip pushed out at him. “Did you not miss me?”

            “You know I did,” he growled, shifting in the chair so that she was more in his lap as he slouched down. “You know I _always_ do.”

            “I know,” she murmured, her breath catching as he squeezed. “I know, I know, I know.”

            Moving his hands, he cupped her so he could slowly run his thumb back and forth over her nipples. They were already tight, making him wonder if she’d been thinking about this earlier or if she really had missed him that much. “You know, Ells,” he murmured, pleased when she leaned forward and gripped the back of his chair, “I think there’s only a couple left.”

            “A couple what?” she breathed, shivering as he licked around one of her nipples and blew on it.

            “A couple countries we haven’t made love in.”

            Her chin dropped and she blinked at him. “We haven’t…have we? Where haven’t we?” she demanded.

            “Tevinter for one,” he murmured, his thumbs tracing lazy circles around her nipples now. “Par Vollen.”

            “Rivain,” she said quickly.

            Cullen shook his head. “No, remember the-“

            “Right, right, I forgo-oh, yes,” she sighed, pushing into his touch as he rolled her between his fingers. “And the tent was in the Anderfels when we escorted S-Stroud north.”

            “So it counts,” he purred, pushing his hips up to rub against her.

            “S-Seheron though,” she whispered, grinding down into him.

            “Mm, true. I suppose we’ll have to make a tour of the north at some point.”

            A shaking laugh left her. “You seriously want to be what? The first couple to fuck in every corner of Thedas?”

            His gaze flicked up to her face. “You don’t have to say it like that.”

            “It’s true isn’t it?”

            He growled at her, lifting his head to suck sharply on one nipple. He felt her legs squeeze him and her sigh was breathy as he didn’t stop. “We don’t always do that,” he mumbled around her.

            “Mm, I know,” she murmured and he watched as one of her hands slid down to ruck up her skirt further. He kept watching as she slid her fingers into the satin panties she was wearing that matched the bra. His breath caught as he heard the slick sounds of her playing with herself.

            “Ells,” he rumbled.

            She purred softly, rocking over him as she moved against her hand. “Have a better idea, Commander?”

            His hands slid down to cup her ass and he levered them both out of the chair. She clung to his shirt as he took the couple of steps to the desk before he was setting her down on the edge of it. “Yes, Inquisitor, I do.”

            Her eyes lit up when he knelt in front of her. “I thought you’d want to hurry,” she murmured.

            He waited as she pushed herself up just enough for him to slip her underwear down her legs. He let his fingers slowly stroke along her stockings, sliding them up the insides of her legs. “I don’t like being rushed.”

            She spread her legs for him as he moved up them. He felt her trembling under his touch as he rubbed her thighs, his thumbs making circles over her skin as he got above her stockings. He watched as her tongue passed over her lower lip and she squirmed to the very edge of the desk.

            Cullen smiled as he turned his head to kiss her thigh, his tongue tracing along the edge of her garter. He trailed his nose over her skin, absently pressing kisses in his wake. Her muscles were jumping and twitching under him as he went and he knew she was already fighting to keep her legs open for him. He cupped her knees and slung them over his shoulders as he moved closer to her.

            She cried out as he pressed a kiss to her sex, his tongue sliding the length of her. “Cullen, fuck!”

            He made a low noise, licking her again. This time her thighs clamped down on his head and he had to push them apart again. “Ells,” he warned when he lowered his hands and they started to inch closed.

            “Sorry, sorry. Can’t help it when you-Oh,” she moaned, her heels pressing to his back. “Do that.”

            He wasn’t sure if she was finishing her sentence or if she was simply telling him that she liked what he was doing. It didn’t really matter in the end, as he wasn’t planning on stopping yet. Sucking on the lips of her sex, he teased her with his tongue by only dipping it slightly between them. He was sure he heard her mutter something under her breath but it was lost as she sighed and gasped as he slowly eased his tongue deeper.

            He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes, to savour the taste of her on his tongue and the sounds she was making. But he watched her, watching as the flush on her cheeks slowly made its way down the pale column of her neck. He watched as sweat slowly started to bead on her skin the longer he played with her. He watched as her nipples tightened and jumped every time she jerked against him. Maker, he loved watching her while he pleasured her. She was so open with him, never hiding what she was feeling or her reactions to what he was doing to her.

            She cried out sharply when he hummed against her and he heard something crumple on the desk. No doubt as her hands fisted around it.

            Pulling back, he licked his lips as he murmured, “Remember this isn’t ours.”

            “Don’t care. Don’t stop,” she panted.

            Cullen chuckled before leaning forward again. He didn’t tease her this time, his tongue slipping through her folds to press against her clit. She hissed and bucked against him but all it did was rub her against him. He wasn’t surprised when her hips rolled on the desk and her heels pushed on him again, trying to make him move closer.

            He ignored her protest as he pulled away from her, slipping one of his fingers into his mouth to slick it. Before she could whine any more, he put his mouth back on her and slowly eased his finger inside her.

            “Yes!” she practically shouted.

            “Ells,” he growled, barely pulling away from her. “Be quiet or I’m stopping.”

            She whimpered, “I can’t help it!”

            He wanted to roll his eyes but he knew it was true. She was rarely quiet when they were together and normally he didn’t want her to be. It felt too much like sneaking around, like they both thought they were doing something they shouldn’t be. Granted, a lot of places they had had sex they shouldn’t have but it wasn’t because they were wrong or would get punished for it. They probably wouldn’t get invited back but…. Pushing down on her, he heard her groan as he stretched her a little more before he slowly began pumping his finger into her.

            “Yes,” she said again, moaning it this time.

            Putting his mouth back on her, he sucked on her clit as he worked inside her. She was already wet, coating his hand further but he kept at a steady pace. She was rocking against him with each push, her spine arching and curling as she moved on the desk. He saw her bite her lip as he slid a second finger in, pushing hard against her as his fingers came back inside her. He was moving her on the desk, but she was meeting him, her legs tight around him even as they trembled.

            Her head lolled back suddenly and he saw a tremor wind through her. “Right there, Cullen,” she whispered. “Don’t stop.”

            Closing his eyes, he did what she wanted, pushing his fingers deep and sucking on her. He wanted inside her and feeling her clench and tighten around him was not helping. She was sighing and whimpering brokenly as he finger fucked her, the sounds getting choppier the closer she got to orgasm. The closer he got her there.

            A desperate mewl slipped out of her before she was bowing forward over him. Her heels dug into him, her thighs squeezing the sides of his head. She was pulsing around his fingers, her walls were tight around him and making him want to feel it on his cock. His free hand fell to his slacks, jerking at his fly even as he listened to her gasp and whisper his name.

            “Ah, shit!” she yelled as he groaned against her when his hand closed around his aching erection. “Cullen, now!”

            Groaning, he stood up and nearly knocked her over as her thighs stayed on his shoulders. She whimpered as his fingers slid out of her so he could push her legs to either side of him. Bending his knees just enough, he tugged her so she was just slightly off the edge of the desk before fitting the head of his cock against her. He resisted slamming into her, opting to slowly ease into her even though it was torture as he felt her squeezing him.

            A grunt left him when her hands suddenly fisted in his shirt, her arms winding around  his back and shoulders. And letting him support all of her weight. “Ells,” he grumbled, bracing his hands on the desk.

            She slowly looked at him, her pale eyes hazy and only a thin ring of green around her pupils. “Cullen,” she breathed.

            He felt her legs shift against him, hitching over his hips. She was smiling at him, a playful tilt to her lips that was completely at odds with her command to fuck her. Pushing deeper into her, he saw her smile waver as her lips parted, her brows drawing together. He felt her sigh on his skin when he couldn’t get any deeper and he held still as her hands tightened in his shirt.

            Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment and he heard her hum softly before her lashes were lifting again. “Missed you,” she breathed.

            “Hold on,” he growled.

            Her ankles hooked behind him and the noise she made as he moved inside her was closer to a trill of delight. “Yes,” she moaned. “Yes!”

            He would have preferred something else but he didn’t try to stop it as his hips snapped forward, driving him into her. One of his hands moved to grip her hip to keep her where he wanted her and pulling her into him. His fingers were digging into her, he knew they were but she didn’t say anything about it. The only thing she was doing was whimpering and sighing in pleasure as he thrust into her.

            Watching her face for a moment longer, he squeezed his eyes shut and moved to bury his face in her loose hair. She leaned against him, her breaths hot on his ear. The heels of her shoes were scraping against him through his pants every time he moved, reminding him they were both still fully clothed and fucking in a foreign official’s office.

            He pressed his mouth to her neck to keep from laughing about that. Now wasn’t the time. She was kneading at his back, her fingers working at the material of his shirt and tugging it loose from his pants. Her thighs were starting to press into his hips again, trembles running through them. “One more, Ells?” he mumbled.

            She nodded against him. “Hurry,” she whispered. “Fuck me.”

            His jaw clenched at the soft words and he reacted. Her arms tightened around him as his hips snapped forward, not pausing as he drove deep with each thrust. He could hear her chanting softly in his ear, moaning the word yes, and it spurred him on. He felt something crumple under his hand as his fingers curled into a fist against the desk but he didn’t care. She was tight and hot and wet around him, shifting and shaking against him.

            Cullen groaned deeply as she cried out, bucking and arching so she pressed to him. He hissed slowly as she gripped him tight, squeezing him like she didn’t want him to move. But he pushed against her, working himself into her before he was smothering his own cry into her neck.

            Elora hummed breathlessly as he jerked between her legs, his hips moving sharply as he came. She was still pulling on his shirt, each tug in response to a thrust. Absent kisses pressed to his ear, her lips nuzzling him. “Cullen,” she mumbled when they both finally stilled.

            A long sigh left him and he cuddled deeper into the crook of her neck. Her soft laugh rang in his ears. Pleasure and love. All he could hear was pleasure and love in her voice. It was a second before he could pull himself away from her, moving so he could meet her gaze again.

            She was smiling faintly, the flush still on her cheeks and her lips all the redder from running her teeth over them. Her eyes darted down for a second before flicking back up to his. “You going to kiss me, Commander?” she breathed.

            Oh. He hadn’t done that. Tilting his head, he brushed his mouth over hers before settling in. She moaned as he kissed her, lips and tongue coaxing her to respond. He felt her smile again as he moved his mouth over hers, breaking the kiss only to start it again. His nose rubbed against her as he broke it again, not going back this time. “We should probably go,” he murmured.

            “If you insist,” she sighed. “But don’t expect me to walk fast after that.”

            He smiled himself, dropping one more kiss on her lips. “Are we going home?”

            She nodded. “Mm, yes, let them come to us this time. Then at least we can be late for a meeting or not show at all because we were busy having sex.”

            Cullen laughed and shook his head at her. “You’re insatiable,” he accused.

            “I know,” she murmured. “Lucky you.”


	23. New Position

 

            Shoving his hands back through his hair, Cullen slumped in his chair as he stared at his desk. Even with so many of the reports being sent to his phone and tablet, there was still a large stack of papers on his desk that he needed to read or sign or do something with. He wasn’t completely sure anymore.

            He was used to the paperwork. Being Knight-Captain for so long, he knew what kind of paperwork came along with being in a military organization. However, the Inquisition was something else. There were always more people joining which meant background checks, health reports, security clearance, and the list seemed to never end. It was good because it meant that the Inquisition was growing, but it also meant that he had less time to for hismelf. Between the paperwork and overseeing the training of the army, he didn’t have much time for anything else.

            Well. That wasn’t completely true. A certain someone always made sure that he had a bit of time for himself, that he always took at least some kind of break. She had started getting sneaky about it, going into his schedule and blocking off times of the day as busy. And he certainly was but not for any of the reasons someone might expect.

            Letting his arms rest on the chair, Cullen’s mouth quirked. He was sure Josephine and Leliana knew, but both of them also had access to both his and Elora’s schedules so they had probably noticed the overlap. Thankfully they were the only ones that would notice that part and he didn’t feel like there was any real need to point that out to Elora. She probably already knew and didn’t care. Or she was better at hiding it than he had thought.

            His gaze flicked to the door of his office. They hadn’t been able to do that today however. She’d had a meeting with representatives from Nevarra and Tevinter today and been firmly told that she was not allowed to back out of it for any reason. She’d been up before him and even though he’d joined her in the shower, it felt strange to not see her again during the day. He was getting far too used to their personal meetings it would seem.

            He glanced at his watch, frowning slightly. It wasn’t as late as he had thought. It was still several hours before dinner would be served and he needed a break from work. He probably shouldn’t leave his office because if he did it would be much harder to come back. Especially if Elora was out of her meeting because he knew she was going to be heading out in the next couple days. It was only to Crestwood and probably wouldn’t take long for her to finish the run there, but she would still be gone and he would like to make sure that he sent her off properly.

            Scooping up his tablet with a sigh, he knew that Elora had filled it with games to help distract him when he took breaks and that she had shared her digital library with him as well. Although he was pretty sure the games and books were for when she wanted to use his tablet instead of hers for whatever reason. Probably to force him to have a break.

            Flicking through the screen, he paused before opening the book app when his phone buzzed on his desk. He frowned. It was most likely someone else asking for another requisition or an audience with the Inquisitor or a million other things that he didn’t want to deal with right now.

            Cullen ignored it, leaning back in his chair and propping his feet up on the desk. He could read for a while and then go back to work. Maybe after he finished some more requisitions requests, the meeting would be out. If he had time later, perhaps the Inquisitor would like to have a private dinner if he could get it set up. At least he didn’t think that Josephine had scheduled a dinner with the visiting dignitaries.

            Had she? Had she told him if she had? Had Elora told him that it was going to be dinner as well?

            He sighed and decided to check later. He was going to read. Get a couple more chapters under his belt and-

            His phone buzzed again.

            Staring at it, he wondered if someone was actually trying to get a hold of him. He started to reach for it but stopped abruptly. He could almost hear Elora in his head chiding him. If he was taking a break, he needed to take the break. She had pushed him to try and take more of them, especially with the increase in headaches and general pain he’d been feeling because of the lyrium withdrawals.

            Cullen settled back in the chair and opened the book. A couple quick taps and he was back to where he had been last night. Letting one arm hang over the side of the chair, he skimmed the screen until he found his spot. He read two words before his phone buzzed a third time.

            “Maker’s breath,” he growled, dropping the tablet into his lap and shifting in the chair until he could scoop up the phone. His glare melted off his face when he saw that all three messages were from Elora. “You’re supposed to be in a meeting,” he murmured, amused as he leaned- back in the chair.

            Tapping in his code, his thumb moved over the messages icon even as yet another came in.

            _Are you busy?_

_Josie said we can take a small break._

_Cullen?_

            The last was a picture and he stared for a long moment at the preview before even tapping on it. He let out a slow breath. She was in Josephine’s office, leaning against her desk with the phone above her. But the angle and the few buttons she had popped on her blouse gave him a damn good view of her breasts and a small hint of her bra. The smile on her face told him that she knew exactly what she was doing and exactly what it would do to him.

            Turning his phone in his hands as he shifted in his chair, Cullen cursed under his breath as he felt his arousal stirring. ‘How small is small?’

            He set aside his tablet as he waited for her to respond and rubbed a hand over his face. Maker, he didn’t want to get aroused if she was just going to be back in her meeting already. Although he knew well enough that simply telling himself not to be aroused didn’t work. It didn’t work in any given situation, especially not when it involved her.

            His phone vibrated against his palm. _Thirty minutes._

            Slowly rubbing his mouth, Cullen debated on the prudence of asking her to come to his office. Josephine’s office was only a floor below his so it wouldn’t take her that long to get here. Of course the longer he waited to say something, the less time he would have with her. But if she did come here, she would be unlikely to go back. ‘Where are you?’

            His hand fell to his lap and he groaned faintly. Shifting in the chair, he squeezed his eyes shut as his hand moved over his groin, stroking his hardening cock through his pants. Sweet Maker, he was worse than a teenage boy. The chair creaked under him as he leaned back further in it, pushing into his hand with a groan.

            Would she come? Had he assumed the wrong thing? Although the picture had been rather telling. Unless she was teasing him for later. It wouldn’t be the first or the last time she did something like that. He should have been used to it. But seeing her do this, to have the confidence to send him pictures, to know that she still wanted him, to know….

            His head rolled against the back of the chair when someone knocked on the door a second before opening it. He didn’t move his hand as he saw Elora even though his heart had leapt into his throat as soon as the handle had turned.

            She leaned back against the door and he heard the lock turn. “Hi,” she said softly. “You liked the picture?”

            He lifted a brow at her. “When have I not?”

            One hand moved to pop a couple of the buttons that she had fixed before coming here. His low noise had her smiling as her shirt parted far enough for him to see that white lace again. “You want to see more?” she breathed.

            “Ells, we’ve got less than half an hour,” Cullen said lowly.

            She undid more buttons and sauntered across the room, giving him more than enough time to look her over. She’d been fully dressed by the time he’d made it out of the bathroom this morning but he knew his girl and she liked matching when she had to dress up like this. He knew that if he worked that slim skirt up her thighs that there would be another set of white lace waiting for him. “That’s a yes then?”

            Dropping his feet from the desk, Cullen pushed the chair back as she came up to him. Elora had tugged her blouse out of her skirt, the two halves of it parted completely to show him the expanse of her torso. He reached out before tossing his phone onto the desk and making her laugh as he realised it was still in his hand. “Come here,” he growled, catching her hips.

            She was still laughing as he pulled her forward so she was standing between his spread legs. “Did you have something in mind for our break?” she asked softly, combing her fingers through his hair before they settled on his shoulders.

            It wasn’t near long enough for what he usually wanted with her but they were getting very good at sneaking in something quick and still satisfying. He wasn’t sure if that was actually something he should be proud of or not. “Did you?”

            “As much as I’m a fan of you pinning me to the desk and fucking me until I scream, Josie will kill me if I come back a mess.”

            Her husky tone had his cock jerking in his pants but he frowned at her. “We don’t have much time for something beyond that though. Unless we’re starting now and finishing later?”

            “No way am I going to last the rest of that meeting if I’m on the verge of coming, Cullen,” Elora said, shaking her head. “I can’t be distracted with those two and you, Ser, are quite the distraction.”

            “I’m not the one being distracting right now,” he muttered, his gaze straying down to her breasts and his good luck charm above them. “You’re still wearing it.”

            “I don’t take it off unless I’m showering,” she clarified. “And when I’m in meetings like this I make sure that it’s clearly visible so someone is bound to ask and I can set the record straight that no, I am _not_ available.”

            Didn’t always work because she complained about some diplomats who saw her relationship status as a challenge. But he loved seeing that simple coin hanging from a chain around her neck because it meant she was still choosing him. Leaning forward, he kissed the skin just below the pendant and inhaled slowly. Her perfume was still clinging to her and he slowly rubbed his nose against her. When her fingers flexed on him, he gradually trailed his kisses further down.

            Elora shifted on her feet as he moved over her breasts, following the line of the material cupping her. Her back arched when he tugged on the cups with his teeth, scraping lightly against her. “Cullen,” she mumbled, “just undo it.”

            “Where’s the fun in that?”

            “We don’t have time for fun,” she wailed softly.

            Sighing against her, he slid one hand up her back. He ignored the way she shivered as his hand moved over her and focused on the clasp of her bra. She wasn’t helping, shifting on her feet and rubbing her breasts against his face. Turning his head slightly, he nipped at her but it only made her jump. “Ells,” he growled. “Stay still for me.”

            “Need help?” she teased but he felt her wobble as he rubbed his cheek against her breasts.

            “No,” he said stubbornly. He could unhook a damn bra without seeing it but apparently not with one hand. He ignored her soft laugh when he slid his other hand up her back and quickly dealt with the clasp.

            “Well done,” she teased before yelping as he nipped at her.

            Using his nose, he nudged her bra up above her breasts as the material loosened around her. “Does that mean I get a reward?”

            “Well, I don’t know about tha-“ She trailed off with a pleased moan as he took her nipple into his mouth and sucked strongly on her.

            He flicked his gaze up to see her biting her lip and he nipped gently at her to get her to gasp. She didn’t disappoint and looked down at him.

            “Is that how we’re doing this?” she breathed.

            He pressed a kiss to her, slowly rubbing his lips against her. “How would you like it?” he murmured.

            Her eyes widened slightly, a splash of colour washing over her cheeks. “Well, I, ah,” she stumbled over her words and he grinned against her.

            “I didn’t mean like that, Ells,” he murmured, kissing a path between her breasts.

            “Well, don’t say that then!” She trembled in front of him as he ringed her nipple with his tongue.

            “If I’m not supposed to muss you and extended foreplay is out, what would you like to do, love?” Cullen rephrased.

            She shifted on her feet, rubbing her breasts against his face. “How sturdy is that chair?” she whispered.

            He leaned back to look at her face. “Not sturdy enough to handle the way you usually ride me.”

            She blushed further and a part of him was delighting in it. It wasn’t often she got tripped up and he really wasn’t saying anything beyond what he usually did. And he was being honest. No way would the chair hold up under their usual activities. “What if I did it differently?” she asked softly.

            Sliding his hands down her back, he let them settle on her hips again. “How do you mean differently?”

            Elora toyed with her necklace for a moment, looking away from him and taking a deep breath. “I could still ride you but maybe just face the other way?” she offered.

            “If that’s what you want, I could just-”

            “No, we’ll get carried away. Maybe this way will be…slower? Maybe?”

            His hands moved over her ass and he squeezed, making her gasp again. Working the material of her skirt slowly up her legs, he murmured, “Slower? We don’t have time for slower remember?”

            “I know,” she said quickly. “I know! I don’t know how to explain it!”

            When he had her skirt bunched around her hips, he glanced down and shifted on his chair at the matching satin panties she was wearing. “Well, there’s no harm in trying.”

            “You gonna help me fix my hair if we screw it up? Because Josie will know what happened if I’m mussed.”

            “Ells, she’s going to know even if you aren’t,” Cullen reminded her, slipping one hand between her legs to rub her through the material.

            “Maybe we shouldn’t then,” she moaned, rocking against his hand.

            “If you want to stop, we can,” he murmured, cupping her sex through the satin.

            “Fuck, no,” she whined. “Cullen, I don’t….”

            He hooked his fingers into her underwear and pulled them down her legs enough so he could touch wet skin. “Whatever you want, Ells.”

            Her hand was cupping her breast now as she moved against him. “Fuck,” she whispered. “Why do we never have enough time?”

            Cullen didn’t answer her, watching her as she rolled her hips over his hand. He cracked after a few seconds, his free hand sliding into his lap so he could jerk his pants open. He saw her look down as he wrapped his fingers around his cock, her lips parting on a soft sigh as she saw him pump along the length. “We have enough time, Ells,” he rumbled, his voice catching as he brushed his balls.

            She sighed as he rubbed his fingers against her clit. “We need a holiday,” she breathed.

            “You’d never want to leave the bed,” he chuckled but it was strained even to his ears.

            “Think about it,” she murmured, pushing against his hand. “Nothing to bother us, no responsibilities, just us. Doing whatever we want.”

            He groaned at the suggestive tone of her words. He knew what that last statement meant.

            “Maybe…when all of this is over?”

            Cullen met her gaze. She looked as hopeful as she had sounded. Maker when was the last time he had taken a holiday? Had he ever? Did he know _how_ to have a vacation?

            “Cullen? We don’t have to.”

            He shook his head quickly. “No, you deserve a break,” he agreed.

            “So do you,” Elora said softly, rising up on her toes as his fingers slid to tease her slick entrance.

            “When it’s over,” he murmured, “I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”

            She smiled at him but it didn’t last as he slid his finger inside her, gently stroking her. “Mm, I think it’s my turn to take you.”

            He shook his head at her, resisting her as she tried to push his hand away from her. Her nails bit into his forearm as she held onto him, soft whimpers leaving her. Her thighs squeezed his hand, trying to get him to stop.

            “Cullen, please,” she pleaded.

            “What do you want, Elora?” he murmured, watching her quiver even as his own legs shook as his hand kept moving over his cock.

            “Mm, you,” she sighed. “Now.”

            He worked his finger inside her for a few moments longer, feeling her slick the digit and along his palm as she got further aroused. “Alright.”

            She still protested when he pulled out of her, her hips squirming at the loss. Cullen watched her play with her breast for a moment longer, pinching and rolling the pink bud between her fingers. A deep sigh left her before her hands left herself and him. “Do you want to…?”

            “Whatever you want, Ells.”

            She sighed again, smiling at him.

            Cullen lazily stroked his cock as he watched her, belying the eagerness he felt as she turned away from him. A choked groan left him at the sight of her naked bottom and the slight slick sheen on her thighs that he could only just see. “Ells, come here,” he said thickly, letting go of his cock to snag her hips again.

            She squeaked as he pulled her to him, moaning as his cock nestled against her ass. He echoed it as she squirmed and his fingers tightened on her. “Ease up, Cull,” she whispered.

            It took a few moments and she definitely wasn’t helping with the subtle shifts of her hips but he managed to loosen his hold enough for her to move. She braced her hands on the arms of his chair and lifted herself. His hand moved back to his cock, holding himself steady as she slowly took him. He cupped her ass this time once the head of him was inside her, helping her ease down. “I love you,” he groaned when she was seated fully in his lap.

            Elora hummed happily. “Oh, I like this,” she breathed. “I really like this, Cullen.”

            “You haven’t even started moving yet,” he murmured, but he agreed with her. He immediately choked on the words as she rolled her hips, moving him inside her. “Wicked,” he groaned, leaning back to press against the chair.

            She laughed softy, her hands moving to his legs while she continued her dance. She kept her movements slow, sighing quietly as he pushed against all the right places inside her. Cullen watched her, fingers flexing against her ass as he felt the flesh tense and strain with each shift of her hips. Her hair was pinned so her curls were trailing down her back but he regretted not stripping her shirt from her before she took him. He wanted to see all of her when she did this.

            “We’re doing this again,” he said lowly, lifting her gently before dropping her back on him.

            A delighted groan left her. “Oh?” she murmured, bracing her hands better as she continued to lift and drop into his lap.

            “I want you naked when you take me next time,” Cullen growled. “I want to see you take me.”

            She squeezed him, her groan becoming a gasp. “Cullen!”

            “Elora, move!” he said shortly. “For the love of the Maker, _move_!”

            A whimper left her but she did, as much as she was able to given the position. It was pure torture for him; feeling her tighten around him, being able to see himself slip into her, and knowing that he couldn’t just lift her to bend her over the desk? She ground down against him when he scraped blunt nails against her thighs.

            “Brace yourself better,” Cullen muttered, planting his feet firmly on the floor.

            “What are you-Cullen!” she cried when he thrust into her sharply. She also almost toppled off of his lap.

            “Ells,” he said lowly.

            “Okay, okay, okay,” she quickly, her hands moving to the chair and he heard the plastic creak slightly.

            They both groaned as he thrust into her, his movements quick and sharp. She’d shifted her legs together, giving him a tighter fit. She was whispering to him, pleading with him to keep going, to never stop, her voice wobbling with every word. Maker, he felt ready to come and he’d barely been inside of her.

            “The things you do to me,” he moaned, trying to balance himself better in the chair but it was difficult.

            “What?” she mewled. She was bouncing in his lap, her curls bobbing with every thrust and he fought a groan as he realised her breasts would be following suit.

            They both froze when they heard the chair creak in protest before weak laughter left Elora.

            “Maker, we’re hopeless,” she murmured, leaning back against him.

            She was back to the little rolls of her hips. “I need a better chair,” Cullen mumbled, kissing her neck.

            “I think I can arrange that,” she sighed, still gently moving on him.

            He pressed his face into her hair, slipping his hands around her thighs. She spread them a little for him as he dipped down to her sex and found her clit. A long moan left her as he rubbed at her, his touch as lazy as the rocks of her body.

            It didn’t matter in the end. The slow swipes of his fingers against her had her shuddering against him and whispering his name as she came. He followed her quickly, one arm wrapping around her waist to hold her to him while he thrust into her as much as he could.

            She slumped against him, hands on his legs and tracing patterns on his thighs. “I don’t want to go back,” she mumbled.

            Cullen laughed weakly, kissing her again. “I know.”

            Her head rolled slightly, a smile on her lips and love in her eyes. “I love you too, you know.”

            “I know,” he said again, his palm pressing flat against her belly. His thumb rubbed absently at the soft skin, tickling her slightly as she squirmed in his lap. “Ells.”

            “It’s your fault,” she muttered.

            Cullen protested when she pushed out of the chair to stand in front of him. “We have a bit of time,” he said quickly.

            She was already shimmying her clothes back into place, swaying slightly on her feet as she did. “If I cuddle with you I’m never leaving this office,” she pointed out, lifting her shirt. “Do me up please?”

            He was tempted not to for half a heart beat, but he reached up and closed the fastener. He kept watching as she turned to him as she did up the little buttons and tucked the shirt into her skirt. “Are we having dinner tonight?” he asked, fixing his own pants when he saw her gaze dart downward.

            “Mm, yes. I had to have lunch with them; they’re not taking my dinner too and Josie knows that. How do I look? Still presentable?”

            Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes overly bright, and her curls a little out of place. “You look perfect.”

            Elora’s expression softened and she leaned over him. Cupping his face in her hands, she kissed him slowly. “I’ll see you at dinner, Commander,” she breathed. “And I’ll talk to Josie about a chair. We have to take your back into consideration.”

            He snorted, kissing her again. “She’s not going to buy that, Ells,” he muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hello again! I know it's been forever since I updated this at all and I feel bad because I've been sitting on this chapter for quite a while. Between computer issues and the difficultly writing, I just never had a chance to upload it! I'll also say this was attempt three at this chapter (which seems to be a thing now) and that the only way it would work was if I kept the position a little...'tamer' than my original plans. But I still like it and I hope you do too!


	24. Shy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not really 'shy' in the general sense but it was the first and only thing I could think of for these two.

 

            Twisting in front of the mirror, Elora bit her lip. Maybe it was too soon for lingerie but she hadn’t been able to resist when she had seen it. She’d been full of confidence when she’d bought it and even now she liked the way she looked in it but she wasn’t sure about the timing. They hadn’t been sleeping together for very long and she didn’t know what Cullen’s thoughts were on lingerie.

            Elora rolled her eyes at herself. What his thoughts were? Did men have more than one thought about lingerie? “Idiot,” she muttered to herself, pulling on a silken robe to wait in.

            She wasn’t sure when Cullen was going to be done, both Rylen and Barris needing to talk to him about matters with the troops after dinner. He’d sent her off with a kiss and a promise to not be too late but they had very different definitions of late.

            Settling on the bed, she picked up her tablet. Playing a game wasn’t exactly the best thing to be doing when she wanted to seduce her lover when he got back to their room, but she didn’t really want to be completely bored before he got there. But of course it didn’t take long for her to run out of lives and be bored anyways.

            Her lips pursed as she flicked through apps, trying to find something to do before she heaved a sigh. “Might as well stay caught up,” she muttered, opening the internet and searching current events. “If you are a current event, you should probably know about the rest of them.”

            The majority of articles talked about things she already knew. The rapidly declining situation in Orlais that Celene insisted she had under control. The mess that Kirkwall had become with Starkhaven troops moving in. Ferelden’s revoking protection of the mages. The rapidly swelling ranks of the Inquisition. It was all things she heard about in every meeting she had with the Advisors and was nothing new.

            Wandering fingers paused over a headline she wasn’t sure she wanted to click. Josephine had told her that there would be a response in the media to her relationship with Cullen. They had essentially gone public last week in Redcliffe and she’d been warned that there might be some negativity about it. Because everyone loved a bad story. Josie had also said it was probably for the best that she not read any of them. Journalists for these kinds of columns got paid for all the dirty words they threw about and she had enough on her plate without thinking about what some hack writer was trying to say about her.

            But Josephine had also said that they would keep stories to a minimum, knowing that both Elora and Cullen were private people who didn’t necessarily want the world watching their relationship.

            _Herald and Commander; are they for real?_

            Elora bit her lip, knowing she shouldn’t do it but she was curious. One article couldn’t hurt, could it?

            Five minutes later she knew that she was very wrong. One article could hurt very much.

            Slamming the end table drawer shut with the tablet inside it, Elora sat on the edge of the bed, breathing hard. She shouldn’t have read it. Josie had told her but she hadn’t listened and now what? Tears stung her eyes before she blinked them away quickly. No. She wasn’t going to let it get to her. She wasn’t.

            But she still pushed off the bed and walked straight to the closet. The silken robe got tossed to the floor and was promptly followed by the new set of lingerie, which she gave a kick for good measure to make sure it was well out of sight. Pulling on the largest t-shirt she could find, she rooted around until she found a pair of flannel sleep pants.

            “Fucking Void,” she whispered, tugging them on and rubbing at her eyes again. She thought she was over this. She thought that she had gotten past all of this. She thought this was supposed to be a part of her past and not in any way part of her life now. She should have known better. She should have fucking known better.

            Sniffling, she went back to the bed, flicking off the light before she crawled under the covers. The darkness didn’t help because now the words were rattling around in her head, over and over, pressing down on her. Maker, make it stop! These things weren’t supposed to hurt her anymore! But they still did and they were making her cry.

            She turned her face into the pillow to muffle her sobs as she lost control, lost the power she needed to keep the words at bay. She was so stupid to think that they wouldn’t focus on her weight. Hadn’t she thought about that and then promptly forgotten because he hadn’t seemed to care? Maybe he did care though. Maybe they were right. Maybe she was just kidding herself. Just like every other time and now she was finally seeing that she was wrong, just so very wrong.

            Sagging against the mattress, Elora didn’t feel any better when the sobs subsided, the tears still falling down her cheeks. Void take her. She didn’t want to feel like this. But they were right, they had to be right because so many people had said it and-

            Her heart leapt into her throat when she heard the door open. Cullen. Shit. He wasn’t as late as she had thought he would be.

            A deep sigh reached her from across the room. “Shit,” he said softly, “you’re already asleep.”

            Elora didn’t make a noise, suddenly wishing she hadn’t crawled into her bed. She should have gone to Ionas’ room expect he would have asked her why she was crying and she didn’t want to talk about it. Now she was stuck. Maybe she could wait until he was asleep and sneak out without him realising it.

            She tracked him as he walked toward the bed, hearing the soft thump of clothes as he pulled them off and left them wherever they fell. She couldn’t even summon any of the irritation that usually caused in her, her emotions a tangled lump in her chest. The only thing she felt was dread that he wasn’t going to fall asleep quickly.

            The bed moved behind her and the covers shifted. Cullen sighed again as he got settled and she felt a moment’s hope. He sounded tired, more tired than he usually did. Maybe she would get lucky and-the mattress shifted again and hands latched onto her.

            She didn’t mean to but she stiffened at the touch and he paused behind her.

            “Elora?” he murmured. “What are you wearing?”

            She flinched. Shit. Camisoles and shorts were what she wore to bed, when she wore clothes to bed.

            “Are you cold?”

            She shook her head, not trusting her voice right now. It wouldn’t be good. She’d been crying and he’d know it as soon as she tried to say something.

            His arm slid around her but stopped when she tried to get away. “What’s wrong?” he asked immediately. “Did I do something? I tried not to be too late with Rylen and Barris.”

            Elora shook her head again. He hadn’t done anything. This wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t her fault, she couldn’t help it if she was…. A tiny whimper left her before she pressed her face into the pillow to stop herself from sobbing.

            She thought she heard Cullen swear and the bed moved again. “Elora? Shit, Ells, look at me.”

            His hand was on her shoulder, gently trying to pull her away from the pillow. But she didn’t want to look at him. More than that, she didn’t want him to look at her. “No,” she mumbled into the pillow when he managed to get her onto her back.

            “Ells, give me the pillow. Please?”

            She clung to it tighter, pushing it into her face. Maybe she could suffocate and not have to think about this anymore. “No!” she wailed as he got the pillow away from her, tossing it far enough that she couldn’t just grab it again. Her hands immediately covered her face and she heard him sigh.

            “Ells, what’s this about?” he asked softly and she felt his fingers gently stroking her hair.

            The words hovered on her tongue but she didn’t want to say them. If she said them it would be real and he’d have to tell her that he didn’t love her, that he wasn’t actually attracted to her, that it was just something that looked good for the Inquisition.

            “Talk to me,” Cullen soothed when a choked noise left her. “Ells, love, please?”

            “Why?” she whispered shakily.

            “Why what? Why do I want to help you? Because I don’t like you being upset, especially if I did something.”

            Her hands slowly slid from her face and she shook her head again. “Why are you with me?” she whispered, dreading the response.

            His expression was concerned, his eyes moving over her face. “Because I love you and want to be with you?” he said slowly.

            Elora closed her eyes and sighed weakly. “You shouldn’t want to.”

            “Why not?” he murmured. “Ells, what’s going on?”

            “’m not good for relationships,” she mumbled. “Not made for that.”

            “What are you talking about?” he coaxed softly, still stroking her hair.

            She sniffed. “Not made for with the lights on,” she whispered. “Not made for more than a quick ride. Not made for long term. Just supposed to appreciate what I can get.”

            Cullen had frozen after the first statement, staring at her in growing shock. “Elora,” he breathed. “When have I _ever_ said any of that? When have I ever given you the impression that…Maker’s breath, Elora! I love you.”

            “Could have anyone,” she said, looking away from him. “Don’t have to settle for me.”

            “I’m not settling for anyone. I’m with you because I want to be with you. Elora, look at me.”

            She didn’t want to. His words were right but what if he didn’t mean them? What if the other words were right?

            “Ells, please? Look at me?”

            Moving slowly, she turned back to him but didn’t say anything.

            “I love you,” he repeated, cupping her cheek and slowly wiping away the tears on her skin. “I have never felt like this before. You make me feel this, like I can be better than what I was, like I might actually be worthy of being loved.”

            Her brows drew together but she still stayed silent.

            “I love you. Maker, I never thought I would get to say that and to a woman like you? Elora, I don’t want anyone. I want you. I’ve wanted you for longer than I would ever care to admit. To hear you say that, to say those things? Why would you think that? Did I ever give you the impression that I thought that?”

            A hiccupping sob left her and she shook her head. “Not you,” she admitted.

            “Alright,” he murmured, propping his head on one hand while he stretched out beside her. “You said you had relationships in the Academy and I’m guessing that’s where those udeas came from?”

            She really didn’t want to think about that but she nodded faintly.

            Cullen studied her for a moment. “What set it off, Ells?” he asked quietly.

            Her lower lip trembled and she felt tears well up again.

            “Shh, you can tell me,” he breathed. “Nothing you say is going to change how I feel about you.”

            Elora stared at him for a long time before she rolled away from him. Her hand was shaking as she opened the drawer and fumbled around in it before she found the tablet. Passing it to him, she wanted to hide again as he unlocked it.

            His brows drew together immediately and his eyes flicked back to her. “How about you go wash your face,” he suggested.

            “Cuz I’m ugly?” she mumbled.

            His mouth flattened before he leaned down to kiss her. It was slow and warm, his lips moving gently against hers. “Because you’ll feel better,” he corrected when he pulled back.

            Her eyes darted over his face but his expression never changed so she carefully slid out of bed. She shuffled to the bathroom, grimacing when she saw her reflection. Fucking Andraste. How had he kissed her when she looked like this? Pushing the thought down, she turned on the tap and splashed her face with cool water. She briefly considered filling the sink and submerging her face in it.

            “Don’t,” she said softly, letting the water warm against her fingers before she properly washed her face. She took her time, enjoying the feel of the water on her skin. Once she was done, she hesitated before going back into the room.

            Her eyes were still puffy and the tip of her nose was red. There wasn’t a whole hell of a lot she could do about that, but she quickly put on moisturizer and wondered if there was anything she could do to feel better.

            She carefully cleaned up the water that had splashed out of the sink and knew that she was stalling. She needed to go back into the bedroom, needed to face what she had said to him, needed to face him after he had read the thing. She couldn’t stay in here forever.

            “You’re the fucking Inquisitor,” she told her reflection. “You walked through the Fade and the future. You can walk into your bedroom to talk to your boyfriend.”

            She hated that her voice wobbled on the last word but she turned and went back into the room. To promptly hesitate in the doorway and twist the hem of her shirt.

            Cullen had been watching the door so he was looking right at her. The tablet was set aside, its face dark, on his side table. He was propped against the pillows, the blankets pooled in his lap and a clear sign that he was naked under them. “Come here, Ells,” he said softly when she didn’t move forward.

            Her feet listened to him even as she wanted to hesitate more and she stood beside the edge of their bed, her fingers still tangled in her shirt. When he crooked a finger at her, she crawled onto the bed, plopping down so she was facing him.

            “You really don’t understand how I see you, do you?” he said softly.

            She nearly asked him what there was to see but she stopped herself and merely shook her head.

            “Ells Bells,” Cullen sighed, reaching out to pull her to him.

            She cuddled under his chin, listening to his heart beat under her ear.

            “Do you remember when Cassandra and I came to your apartment?”

            Blinking, she frowned. What did that have to do with anything? “Yes.”

            “Do you remember what you were wearing?”

            “No.” Why would she remember that? Probably something she shouldn’t have ever answered the door in.

            “I do,” he said softly, his fingers winding some of her curls around them. “You were in your alumni sweater and leggings, all of your curls up on the top of your head, and you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.”

            Elora snorted. “Was not.”

            “You were and still are.” He sighed deeply. “Maker, that was a surprise. I’d thought you were pretty before we met, from the profile photo, and you were when we did the run, but seeing you like that? Comfortable and relaxed? You took my breath away.”

            “Nuh uh,” she muttered.

            She protested lightly when he rolled them so she was leaning against the pillows and he was kneeling in front of her, between her legs. “Yes, Elora. I was attracted to you from the beginning and every day with you only made it stronger.”

            “I don’t-”

            “Stop talking,” he breathed, kissing her again.

            Elora moaned. This kiss was different from the last, still warm but it felt like he was trying to prove a point. He was certainly stealing her breath this time. “No,” she mumbled when he pulled away from her.

            He kissed the tip of her nose before moving to rub his against hers. “I’m not going anywhere, Ells,” Cullen whispered.

            Her fingers flexed against him as he leaned back. Her eyes wandered over him before jerking back up to his face. “You’re aroused!”

            “Of course I am.”

            “But didn’t you read that thing?! Didn’t you see the pictures?!”

            “Of course I did,” he said patiently, “and you know what I saw? The woman I’m in love with.”

            She stared at him. He really wasn’t understanding and she didn’t know how to get through to him to!

            “Elora,” he said patiently, “do you really think that I’m not attracted to you? That I’d really be able to pretend that I want you as much as I do?”

            She squirmed slightly. “…No,” she finally admitted.

            His hands were on her hips, slowly rubbing against her through the material of her pants. “Do you want to take your shirt off?”

            “Not really.”

            “Could you please take your shirt off?” he corrected. “It’s a little harder to make love to you when you’re fully dressed.”

            “You could just take it off me.”

            “I could but I want you to do it.”

            Elora stared at him, not understanding what he wanted. But her hands slowly fell to the hem of her shirt again. She inched it up, dreading to see his expression change as she bared herself. His gaze never left her face though and it was about the only thing that kept her tugging the material up before it was falling to the floor beside the bed.

            Her lips pursed as he leaned over her again, her hands moving to cover her chest. Which she had never done with him before. But he absently pressed kisses to her face and neck. Her lashes fluttered shut as he kissed her eyes and she couldn’t stop her smile when he nuzzled against her cheek.

            “I love you,” he murmured, breath ghosting over her neck as he moved down it.

            She whimpered softly. He sounded so sure of himself and she had never doubted him before when he said the words. She inhaled sharply when he sucked on the crook of her neck, pushing off the mattress in surprise.

            His lips moved over her chest, finding the shallow dips of her collarbones before he hummed lowly. She trembled under him when he kissed her breasts in the spaces between her fingers. “I know you wish they were smaller,” he said between kisses. “Every time we have to dress up and you fight with your wardrobe, I know you wish you were smaller.”

            Her eyes squeezed shut. “Cullen….”

            “But you always look amazing, Elora,” he breathed, nipping at the tips of her fingers.

            “The pictures…,” she protested weakly.

            “Don’t think about them. Remember when we went to that event in Denerim? The red dress you wore?”

            “Y-Yes,” she said, her voice catching as he got her hand to move and closed his lips around her nipple. “Oh!”

            Her hand immediately cupped the back of his head as he sucked on her and she tried to pull him back when he stopped. “I wanted to get you out of it so badly. As soon as you stepped into the room, I wanted to take you anywhere but the ballroom so I could get you out of it.”

            She shivered as he kissed her breastbone, nuzzling against her other breast. She could admit it had been a good dress, the corset lacing in the back allowing her to not have to worry about the lack of straps on it. “I still have it,” she said shyly.

            He paused in kissing up her breast. “Do you?”

            “Yeah,” she whispered.

            Cullen didn’t move for a long moment, simply staying at her breast, but she could hear him breathing heavily.

            “I could…wear it for you, if you want,” she said hesitantly. “If you still want to take it off of me that is.”

            He groaned and pressed his face against her breast, still breathing shortly. “Ells.”

            She bit her lip, letting her other hand move to rest on his shoulder. “Would you want that?”

            “ _Yes_ ,” he groaned. “Maker, yes.”

            Well. That was something.

            Cullen took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “If you’re done distracting me,” he said quietly.

            “You brought it up!”

            “Mm.” He started kissing lower and stretched out on the bed when she squirmed. He was still between her legs but he had her pinned with her thighs tucked under his arms. His tongue swirled around her navel before he was pressing kisses to her stomach.

            “Stop,” she whispered, torn between having it tickle and not wanting him there.

            He rubbed his nose against her. “Why?”

            “That’s not…I’m not….” Elora blew out a breath. “I’m fat and squishy and you’re finding all my squishy bits!”

            “I happen to like your squishy bits,” he said mildly.

            “But they’re fat and have stretch marks!” And the Maker damned dimples on her thighs!

            “So?” he murmured. “What’s wrong with stretch marks? They’re just lines on your skin, Elora.”

            They weren’t just marks. They were physical proof that she couldn’t control her weight.

            “I have scars and you don’t care about them.”

            “They’re different,” she protested.

            “White lines on skin. That’s all they are.”

            “They’re there because I’m fat.”

            “They’re there because your body changed,” he corrected.

            “Getting fat!”

            Cullen sighed against her. “Are you going to keep listening to those words or me, Elora?” he asked lowly. “What do they fucking matter?”

            Elora blinked. Cullen didn’t usually swear like that. She was the one that let loose with the curses but he didn’t usually say things like that. “I….”

            “One article out of a hundred happened to talk about your size rather than the fact that that is only one part of you. Those journalists only want a pay cheque, Elora. They don’t care who they drag through the mud in order to get it. So why would you care about what they have to say when I’m telling you that I love you? Exactly the way you are.”

            She took a deep breath but it rushed out of her when he moved the rest of the way down. “Cullen!” she gasped as he hooked his fingers into the waistband of her pants.

            “I want you naked,” he said softly. “I want to see all of you. Will you let me?”

            Her brows drew together but she nodded. Cullen had never hurt her. There wasn’t a reason to hide from him. She pushed herself up as he eased the flannel down her legs and made a small noise when he settled between them before she could close them. She watched as he hooked her legs over his shoulders, absently kissing along her thighs.

            She mewled when his mouth pressed to her sex, his tongue flicking out to slip through wet folds. A gasping moan spilled from her as he found her clit, slowly circling it before slipping back down to lap at her slowly.

            His hands tightened on her thighs as her hips left the bed, pulling her back to him. Her own hands clapped over her mouth as he sucked on her, pausing to nibble at tender flesh. Her torso twisted on the blankets but he merely followed her, teeth and tongue making pleasure surge through her.

            Her shout was muffled as he started making pleased noises against her. She squeezed her eyes shut, rocking her hips to move her over his face. His growl had her seeing stars and nearly screaming again. One of his hands moved to press to her stomach in an attempt to hold her still. It only made her want to move more.

            Her back arched off the bed, her heels digging into his back as she shouted his name. She was shaking as he didn’t move from between her thighs, humming and lapping at her still. She twisted on the blankets again, trying to get away from him but knowing it was futile because he wasn’t letting go. His fingers were digging into the tops of her thighs as he held her to him and he didn’t seem to care that she was squeezing his head.

            She was limp and quivering when he finally moved, ducking under one of her legs to move to stretch out beside her. She felt his fingers wandering over her, light enough that it tickled but she couldn’t move away from him.

            “You are so beautiful,” he breathed.

            It took her a moment but she turned to look at him. He was watching his fingers, tracking their progress. But she could see the wet sheen on his lips that he was absently licking away. “Cullen?”

            Warm eyes met hers. “It’s not about me, Ells,” he murmured.

            No, it was about them and her forgetting about how much they were committed to this. How much he was committed to this. Planting her hands on his chest, she gave him a push, rolling them so she was lying on him. She took a moment to push herself up before she stopped when his arms wound around her.

            “Stay there,” he breathed.

            “But….”

            “I want to feel you, Ells,” he said softly.

            She felt his hand wander down her back before it paused to cup her ass. “Cullen,” she chided gently when the other did the same.

            “Mm, what?” he asked, letting his hands wander down the backs of her thighs. “Maker, you’re still so wet.”

            She gasped faintly as he thrust up against her, his cock rubbing against her folds. “Cullen!”

            His hands shifted slightly as he arched up again, pressing him against her. He kept moving, slipping through her sex and coating himself in her arousal. A low hiss left him as he pushed on himself again, slipping inside her.

            Elora moaned deeply, throwing her head back. He was going slow, that maddeningly slow pace that he knew drove her insane. “Why?” she whimpered as his hand returned to her to keep her from moving.

            “Because.”

            That wasn’t an answer! Her breath shivered out of her as he thrust into her, rocking her against him. “Cullen.”

            He was absently kissing her cheek as he kept his thrusts steady. Maker, how did he keep his control like this? She felt ready to burst given the attention he had already shown her and he hadn’t gotten any of that.

            “Maker, Cullen, more,” she pleaded even as she trembled above him. Her body knew what he was capable of and while the gentle pace was appreciated, she wanted more. She could take the rougher pace and they both knew it.

            A deep hum left him and he rocked her above him when his hips came up a little sharper than before. The slap of their skin coming together made her moan and he didn’t make it any better by pulling her down with him. When he held her there, his hands on her hips, she squeezed her eyes shut as he thrust shortly into her.

            She was kneading slowly at his chest, her nails scratching at him. Her toes had curled into the bedding from the pleasure he was giving her. A soft mewl left her when he paused and she wriggled her hips to try to get him to move again.

            “Maker’s breath, Ells,” he breathed. “They way you _move_.”

            All she was doing was squirming which wasn’t particularly sexy in her books. But she could feel his fingers flexing on her, squeezing tightly before seeming to remember that he was holding her. It made her heart melt, that he was always so mindful of her and it made the words so easy to say.

            “It’s okay, Cullen,” Elora whispered. “I won’t break.”

            Cullen stilled completely under her, his breath the only sound she could hear.

            She shouldn’t have been surprised but Elora still gasped when he rolled them. The bed dipped as he dug his knees into it and found his rhythm again. He didn’t start from scratch, simply picked up where he had left off. Her arms slipped around him, her hands pressing flat to his back as she tried to ride the pleasure he was giving her. She didn’t think she’d last much longer and if the way he was moaning was an indication neither would he.

            Her thighs pressed against his sides as he fucked her, the gentleness from the beginning gone as they both got caught up in it. His mouth was on her neck, his breath hot as he panted against her. She tightened around him when he closed his mouth on her and sucked. “Cullen!”

            His groan was deep and ragged as she climaxed. His thrusts stuttered for a moment before he was rocking into her again. Each push had her seeing stars and gasping his name again. Her eyes squeezed shut when he groaned again, thrusting hard into her before slowly stilling and letting his bulk drop on her.

            Her nails were digging into his back as she hung onto him, breathing heavily. He was whispering brokenly to her now, his words soft and loving and making her glow almost as much as the orgasm had. “I’m sorry,” she whispered once she had enough breath.

            Cullen shook his head against her. “Don’t be,” he murmured. He slid his arms under the pillow and pushed up enough so he could rest his forehead on hers. “I know you have troubles with how you look. I just didn’t realise…well, I didn’t realise they ran so deep that you’d doubt me.”

            Elora shifted to kiss him gently. She knew it wasn’t fair to paint him with the same brush she had the other men she’d had sex with but she also knew being with someone who fully accepted her was still too new for her not to trip up. “What did Bull say?” she mused. “More cushion for the pushin’?”

            He snorted shortly. “He would.”

            She smiled softly, running her hands along his back. Her fingers caught on rough patches, the scars littering his skin. He hadn’t seemed too worried about her seeing them even though some of the ones on his back terrified her for what had happened to him. Maybe she needed to take a page from his book. “Cullen, if…if someone were to wear something for you,” she said hesitantly, “do you have anything you’d like to see?”

            “Whatever she’s comfortable wearing for me is what I want to see,” he murmured. “One of my old t-shirts? Camisole and shorts? Doesn’t matter, Ells, so long as it’s what you want to wear.”

            Tomorrow she would wear the lingerie for him. Tomorrow she would forget about everything she had read and shower him with the love he had just given her. Tomorrow she would do it.


End file.
